Helping Hand
by AliciaRoseFantasy
Summary: A series of one-shots, with Spider-Man doing every day deeds to help people, and in return, them helping him when he needs it; because Spider-Man will always be the protector of the little guys. Spidey/NYC interaction :) TASM movie-verse :) Latest chapter- The Woes of Illness: Spidey gets sick on the job, and it's up to the locals to help him out.
1. Times Square

**Hey! So I loooove Spider-Man, and thought I'd write a bunch of one shots using different scenarios with him helping people and stuff.**

 **Now I know people have tried doing this before, but they never completed them. So I thought I'd give it a go :)**

 **These are set in the Amazing Spider-Man movie-verse, because I love those movies :) Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Amazing Spider-Man or Spider-Man in general, thanks :)**

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Times Square, renowned as one of the most famous, and the busiest, places in New York. Tourists flock there to see all the spectacular lights and screens spanning the area on a daily basis, and many revel in its magnificence. Except, only, for one little boy.

To this little boy, the place was nothing more than a frightening mixture of noise and chaos. Bodies slammed into him as he tried to push himself through the crowd in a panic, his small hands pushing and tugging at people's clothes as he manoeuvred around them, eyes darting this way and that, with wide-eyed franticness. As this young boy was experiencing any child's worst nightmare come true. He'd lost his mother.

"Mummy!" he screamed, distress cracking through his voice, as he continued to search and search through the crowd for a familiar face, only, he wasn't having much luck. "Mummy!" he tried again, small glassy tears beginning to form in the corners of his big, brown eyes.

Off to the side of the area, hanging around near a dark wall - and unbeknownst to the boy, was a group of three, scruffy looking men with beer bottles in hand. They had unfortunately caught sight of the child in distress, and were talking amongst themselves, slapping each other on the arms in some form of agreement, before they started to make their way forward out of the shadows.

"Mummy!" the child said, bumping into someone. They cursed at him, and he stumbled slightly, looking back at them in fear, before continuing to make his way through the swarms of people, looking for a small needle, in a large haystack.

But luckily for this little boy, he was not alone. As sitting on a dark ridge on the side of a building, was crouched a small figure, who also had eyes on our friend - eyes that were following his every move intently, along with those of the junkies, who were now slowly walking up after him. If one looked closely enough, they might just be able to make out the slightest tint of red and blue against the blackness of the night, and the faint twinkle of large, reflective, bug lenses.

"Mum!" the boy cried one last time, before slouching to the ground in a heap, the palms of his hands burying into his eyes, as he began to weep, hopelessly.

There was the slight whoosh of wind, and the faint pat of feet hitting the ground, before the boy felt a gentle hand placed on his arm.

"Hey," sounded a soft and gentle voice from in front of him, and he looked up.

"Are you okay?" the voice sounded again, but this time emerging from none other than the red and blue form of Spider-Man, crouched before him, head tilted to the side slightly, in a look of almost curious concern.

The boy just curled up into a tighter ball, and began to cry again. "I've lost my mummy!" he said, in tears. "I can't find her!" he panicked.

"Hey. Hey it's alright, everything's alright," Spidey responded, shifting closer and wrapping his arms around the boy's quaking form. He shot a silent look over his shoulder in the direction of the three junkies, who all looked at each other in doubt, before beginning to back away.

Spidey pulled his arms a little tighter around the boy protectively. "You're going to be all right, you're gonna be fine, ok? We'll find your mum, I'm sure she hasn't gone far," he comforted.

The boy looked up into his masked face, "We will, are you sure?" he asked, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.

Spidey chuckled. "Sure we will," he said cheerily, and was rewarded with a slight smile. "What's your name buddy?" he asked, changing the subject.

"David," the boy happily answered.

"Well, David, how would you like to have a ride on a web hammock, courtesy of your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man?" Spidey asked, picking the boy up under the armpits and lifting him so he was sitting on his shoulders. The boy giggled with joy.

"I'll take that as a "yes" then," Spidey replied, getting up and walking around a bit, before shooting strands of webbing between two random poles, quickly building it up with many different lines of the strong, sticky substance, to finally form the shape of a large hammock.

He then reached up and plucked the boy off his shoulders, laying him down on the hammock before he quickly hopped onto it himself a second later, settling down next to him, stretched out on his back. He reached a hand up behind their heads and pulled at the pole, before letting it go, causing the hammock to sway slightly. David giggled uncontrollably.

"You like that huh?" Spidey asked, looking at him at his side, before turning his attention up to the dark, night sky.

Slowly, he noticed that the place had become oddly quiet, the constant chatter and noise of Times Square having disappeared, and he turned his gaze to look around them curiously.

Times Square was silent. All the people who had been busily moving around but a minute before were now stopped, and standing in a sort of, oval shaped ring, around where Spider-Man and David lay sprawled out on the hammock, gazing at them in what looked like awe and wonder.

Spider-Man had completely forgotten about their company throughout the whole exchange, having been too focused on the boy. He hadn't even noticed that every one of those people had just witnessed his encounter with him, first hand.

"It's stopped swaying," David's voice suddenly sounded miserably, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry kiddo," Spidey replied, moving to sway the hammock again. David once again giggled.

"This is fun!" he exclaimed. "Thanks Spidey," he then added, wrapping his arms around Spidey's middle.

"Oh," Spidey said, startled, before he hugged the boy back, warmed by the unexpected embrace. "You're welcome," he grinned under his mask.

"Will you stay with me until we find mummy?" David then asked, looking up at him pleadingly, big brown doe eyes begging.

Spidey looked around uncertainly for a minute, gazing at the people watching them, taking in all the camera phones and ipads recording, before he replied.

"Yeah sure, I'll stay," he said kindly.

"Yay!" the boy said, grinning from ear to ear, all his previous tears now dried up.

Spidey smiled to himself, before turning back over on his back and once again swinging the hammock. He was hoping that with all the people recording them, and the fact that they were on live breaking news, which was currently being displayed on the large screens set around the area, that the boy's mother would find _them_. He only had to hope. Until then, he'd just stay here and keep him entertained.

"What's it like being a superhero?" David asked him, while he was thoughtfully looking up towards the night sky.

Spidey turned his head to look at him, arms now crossed in a relaxed manner over his chest, contemplating his response to the curious seven or eight year old.

"Hard, very hard at times, but also fun; being able to do cool things and have crazy superpowers can be very enjoyable. Nothing beats the feeling of flying through the air being supported by nothing but a thin strand of web, flipping and somersaulting along. And the feeling of saving someone's life, or helping someone, it's the most satisfying, fulfilling thing anyone can ever experience. It creates such deep warmth within you. I'm just glad that I am able to help people when they are in need. Being a superhero also comes with a great amount of responsibility. I live by the motto 'with great power, comes great responsibility'. I always remember that, it's very important," Spidey said.

"Wow," David replied, looking at him with wide eyes, "one day I want to be just like you, and help people, just like you do," he said enthusiastically.

Spidey chuckled, "maybe one day kiddo, maybe one day," he replied.

"David!" a female voice suddenly pierced through the air, and both Spidey and David sat up a bit to look.

"Mummy!" David yelled, hopping off the hammock and running straight into his mothers embrace.

"Oh David, I thought I'd lost you," she said, with tears in her eyes. A few policemen were standing behind her. They had obviously been helping her find her son.

Spidey sat up and crossed his legs on the hammock, watching the embrace, a smile hidden behind his masked face.

An officer then suddenly walked up to Spidey, and he readied himself for the inevitable onslaught.

"Thanks Spidey, you did good," the officer said.

Spidey just sat there, shocked for a second, not used to receiving compliments, before stuttering to life again.

"Umm, ah, umm, it was no problem officer, just, doing my job," Spidey said, flustered.

The officer smiled and reached forward, giving Spidey a pat on the shoulder. "You're a good guy Spidey, I don't believe all that rubbish 'The Bugle' says about you. Just keep doing what you're doing," he said, smiling.

"Ah, thanks," Spidey said, swallowing past the sudden tightness in his throat. He barely had time to recover though before a small bundle flew itself at him, wrapping its arms around his neck.

"Thanks Spidey," David said, happily, moving back from the embrace. Spidey reached forward and ruffled his hair.

"You be good now, won't ya kiddo?" he teased.

"Yes sir," the boy replied, grinning, before his mother walked up and smiled her thanks at Spidey, taking David's hand.

"Come on honey, we'd best be getting home," she said, beginning to pull him away. David smiled one last time at Spidey, before happily walking along, hand in hand, with his mother.

Spider-Man stayed there, crouched on the web hammock, smiling to himself wildly for a minute, before he then shot a web and swung off into the night.

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 **Review please! Feedback is appreciated :)**

 **And don't worry. There are plenty more of these to come! :)**


	2. Car Troubles

**Hey there! So since this was begged for so much (haha), here is the next installment of my series of one-shots.**

 **It's just a fun little idea I had, so I really hope you like it! Feel free to review :)**

 **Oh! And if you have any ideas or prompts you'd like me to write, do tell! And I might just write them :P I'd like to interact with you (the readers) as much as possible with this :) Plus, it will help if I ever should run out of ideas :P**

 **Read and enjoy! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man.**

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"Whooohooo!" Spider-Man yelled, as he rode along on a web, one leg tucked beneath him with the other stretched out in front as he seemed to lean down on the thin strand, propelling himself along. "Yew," he said, as he pushed his feet off the side of a building. He tucked into a ball as he somersaulted sideways, before letting himself free fall for a bit. He then shot two webs out at once and bungeed himself forward.

"Whoo!" he exclaimed again, as he flew head first towards the ground, before shooting more webs, and swinging forward through the streets of his hometown, New York.

He shot a web at a flag pole and spun around it a few times, before propelling himself forward, running along a wall for a minute, before shooting another web to the other side of the street, and running along the wall there as well. He then leaped off that wall, pulling both legs beneath him, as he extended his wrist forward, and shot yet _another_ web.

Out of nowhere, he heard the terrible ruckus of car horns and yelling coming from the streets below. Thinking quickly, he turned around, (spinning in mid air), to go check it out.

* * *

Joe pounded on the horn one last time, before slumping back in the seat of his car. He'd gotten himself into a right mess this time, as his car had just happened to overheat right in the middle of a busy road in the centre of New York, blocking up all the traffic at an intersection. Talk about bad luck.

He sighed, turning the key in the ignition again, but only receiving a spluttering mess in reply. He punched the dashboard in frustration, before leaning his elbow on it, placing his face in his palm.

"You right there?" a voice suddenly said, startling him out of his misery, as he jumped up to see who'd spoken.

Spider-Man was leaning casually against the window on the other side of the car, watching him with interest.

Joe stared in shock, before mumbling a startled reply.

"Uh yeah, ah...I think she's overheated," he explained, while never taking his eyes off Spider-Man, who immediately opened the door and crawled in over the seat until reaching him.

Leaning in over Joe he checked the dash board, examining the gauges.

"Yep, looks like it's overheated," Spidey said, popping the "p", before he moved back out of the car and walked around to the front, opening up the hood.

"Is there anything you can do? Joe asked him anxiously, poking his head out of the window.

"Mmm," Spidey hummed as he looked at the steaming engine, before looking up. "I could give you a push if you'd like?" he suggested, lowering the hood again of the currently "dead" car.

"Oh thank you. Thank you very much!" Joe sighed with relief, as he tucked his head back in through the window, eternally grateful for the solution to his current predicament.

"Alright," Spidey replied, before a specifically loud beeping of a horn and string of foul language caught his attention, and he looked up, purposefully strolling directly in the direction of the insult.

"Oh hey Spidey," a large grumpy looking man with short, brown hair said as he shrunk back in his seat, trying to move away from the approaching arachnid.

"Is there a problem sir?" Spidey asked with purpose.

"Ah no, no problem, no problem at all," the man replied, shrinking back even further into his seat with a guilty expression.

"Then I'd suggest you mind your language, and show some respect," Spidey replied, in a serious tone.

"Ah yes, s...sorry sir," the man mumbled, tripping over his words.

"Good," Spidey responded, before walking back to Joe's car.

"Thanks," Joe said.

"No problem," Spidey replied, motioning his head sideways in acknowledgment, before he moved behind the car, (squeezing between it and the vehicle behind), and gripped the back. "Alright, I push and you steer, ok?" he instructed.

"Yep, sure thing" Joe replied, and Spidey slowly began to push.

That is, until the car behind beeped its horn, causing Spidey to jump and grab his ears as it deafened his enhanced hearing.

"Hey, hey!" Spidey yelled, turning around and waving his arms around at the driver behind. "I'm trying to fix the problem here. Have some patience and we'll be out of your way in no time," he complained, fully frustrated at the ignorance of the drivers.

"Oi, if you don't get that piece of junk out of here I'll be late for work!" the person said, causing a number of other people around to voice their agreements, soon becoming a cacophony of yelling.

Spidey groaned, before holding out his arms. "Everyone calm down," he said, but didn't get any response, as people just continued to shout. "Calm down," he tried again, before leaping onto the back of the car and jumping into the centre of the intersection. "Quiet!" he yelled. And the place was soon enveloped in a blanket of silence.

"Now," he said steadily, "I'm going to help this nice guy over here move his car out of the way so you can all get going again, but you will have to allow us to do this peacefully, and quietly. Ok?" Spidey said, addressing all the people banked up in their cars.

"Alright, sounds fair," someone finally said, nodding, before they all began to settle down in agreement.

Spidey quickly moved back around to the back of the car. "Right, you ready?" he asked, before he began to push it forward again.

The people kept their word and stopped their angry horn blowing and yelling as Spidey and Joe moved the car towards the side of the road.

Before long, they finally hit the curb, aligning perfectly with it. And instantly, all the cars revved up and began to move away, without a word.

"Ok, you good now?" Spidey asked, leaning his arms on the roof of the car, as he looked in the passenger side window again.

"Yeah, I think so," Joe said. "Thanks so much for the help."

"No problem." Spidey said, with a smile in his voice. "Happy to help," he added.

Joe nodded, and smiled at him.

"Right, well...cya," Spidey said, feeling a bit fidgety with all the people now staring at him on the sidewalk.

"Ok, nice to meet you," Joe said. And before he knew it, Spidey had swung away on a web, disappearing out of sight.

He sat there for a minute, at a loss for words, before there was an odd whistling-like sound. It started off deep, before slowly rising in pitch.

He leaned up in his chair, ears alert and looking confused. Suddenly there was a loud bang, a couple of sparks, and black smoke began to ooze from the engine.

He sighed. "Swell," he said, before fishing his phone out of his jean pocket, and calling for a tow truck.

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 **So, there you go! More coming soon ;)**


	3. Little Audrey

**Hello there :) So, I rather like this one, it's very emotional and sweet, (well, I think it is). Somewhat like the first :)**

 **Enjoy :) And if you'd like, take the time to review and tell me what you think :)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and my original characters**

* * *

"Hahaha, she's such a loser!"

Those words burned into little Audrey's soul as her favourite toy was plucked from her grip, while in the playground of her primary school, and held in the hands of her worst enemy, as the other kids laughed at her mockingly.

"Give Mr Sniggles back!" she yelled. "Mummy!?" she then turned around to look at her parents, who were standing talking to someone else's parents nearby.

"Go play with the other kids, Audrey," was the absentminded response.

Audrey turned back around, with tears in her eyes, as the lead girl and her flock of followers giggled in a hushed manner.

With a desperate spark of determination, she reached forward, trying to snatch her stuffed blue elephant back from cruel paws.

"Ah, ah, ah," the girl named "Vanessa" said, holding the toy just out of her reach, as she was a little taller than Audrey. "He's mine now. Finders keepers, loser's weepers," she said, in her face.

"No he's not!" yelled Audrey, in distress, as she continued to try and reach for the toy, while the others laughed at her. "Give, Him, Back!" she screamed.

"Oh I don't think so," Vanessa replied, hand on hip in a cruel and proud manner, jutting it out. "Fetch!" she suddenly said, as she spun around and threw the toy onto the top of the nearest roof.

"No!" Audrey yelled helplessly, reaching out at the air in the direction of the stuffed animal, before falling to the ground and dirtying her knees, whimpering.

"Hahaha, what ya gonna do now, Audrey?" Vanessa provoked, drawing out her name manipulatively. "Elephants are so lame anyway. Don't even know why you like such an _ugly_ thing," she said, kicking grass and dirt towards Audrey's face.

Audrey just cried harder. "He's not ugly!" she defended, giving them a hard stare.

"Hahaha, yeah right," Vanessa replied.

"Did someone lose a little blue elephant?"...

The girls, and Audrey, all spun around to stare at where the mysterious new voice came from, and froze in shock, Vanessa nearly keeling over.

"Don't worry, he's alright, no harm came to him. I checked him over, just to be sure." Spider-Man babbled comfortingly. "I believe he belongs to you?"

He held out the stuffed animal towards Audrey, looking her directly in the face.

Vanessa, looked like her jaw was going to drop off.

Audrey looked at his spidery masked face for a minute, before suddenly getting up (sniffling slightly) and shuffling towards Spidey (who slowly knelt down to meet her at eye level). She hesitantly reached out her small hands, and gently took the silky soft toy from Spidey's gloved ones.

Vanessa just stared at the situation, like she couldn't understand what she was seeing, while the other girls began to back away.

"There you go. He's very nice and soft," Spidey said. "Is he your favourite?" he then asked her kindly.

Audrey nodded her head, holding her toy close to her chest and swaying slightly from side to side. "His name is Mr Sniggles, because he's snugly," she said, shyly.

Spidey just chuckled warmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Well, he's a very nice Elephant," he said. He then leaned forward. "And between you and me, elephants _are_ cool," he whispered.

Audrey let out a little giggle.

Spidey looked up and noticed the girl's parents still deep in conversation, just a matter of metres away. They hadn't even _noticed_ him there.

Spider-Man remembered one of the times in his own childhood, when he had been treated poorly, as he had experienced his own fair share of bullying when he was in school, especially from Flash Thomson, and a myriad of other classmates.

He remembered the day when Flash had ripped up his homework when he'd refused to do his for him, resulting in him getting beaten up. That being just one of the occasions such a thing had happened. He remembered being pushed, shoved, tripped, verbally abused, physically abused, and pretty much everything in between, being helpless, and unable to fight back in those days. Teachers or adults often did not even realise what was going on. Just like what was happening to this little girl, right now. And he just couldn't stand by and watch that happen again.

He remembered the time Gwen had stepped in when he'd been being beaten up, stopping Flash and telling him to get to class. That had been the first time they'd initially met.

He knew what it felt like to be bullied, the little one (or outcast). And right now, he was going to do what Gwen did for him on that day, and stand up for her.

He looked up at the oblivious parents.

"Hey. Excuse me," he said, trying to get their attention. "Hello. Ma'am? Sir?" he said. But they were too busy focusing on their own conversation. "Hey yo!" he tried, and then whistled. But surprisingly, they weren't paying attention.

He looked down at the little girl still cuddling her toy, before gently winding his arms around her, and picking her up. Leaning her against his red and blue torso with her legs wrapped around his waist, he walked up to the couple.

Clearing his throat loudly, he addressed them. "Are you this little girl's parents?" he asked outright.

They both started, completely taken by surprise at Spidey's sudden presence. They stared at him, standing there next to them, speechless for a second, before the father spoke up.

"Ah...ah yes. That's our daughter. What has she done?" he asked, fumbling for words, becoming strict and serious at the last question.

Spidey was rather appalled that the first thing they'd think in seeing their daughter in his arms was that she'd done something _wrong._

"No, no! She hasn't done anything wrong," he said, shaking his head vigorously from side to side in strong emphasis. The father gave him an "oh" look, before looking towards the ground; the mother appeared relieved, as if she had been embarrassed by the idea of her child misbehaving.

"She was being bullied," Spidey announced, staring at them intently with his head slightly cocked.

Their heads snapped to look at him, wide eyed and shocked, like they couldn't comprehend it.

Their jaws and mouths worked after a second, as they tried to think of what to say, "But-but that's impossible, she...she was just playing with the children a minute ag-,"

"Being bullied, by the children a minute ago, and I'm sorry ma'am. But that's why she was calling for you," Spidey explained.

The woman just gaped at him, Audrey shifting a little in Spidey's arms.

They had begun to make quite a scene, as everyone was staring at the four of them.

The couple they'd been talking to but a minute before Spidey interrupted, were frozen in place from having a superhero standing barely a metre away from them, in their own children's school grounds, standing up for a small child being bullied. They couldn't comprehend it.

"Now, I suggest you pay more attention to your child. She needs your love and attention more than you know," Spider-Man said softly but firmly, as he handed the now happy and peaceful girl over to her father, who fumbled for a second before gently taking her back from Spidey, flabbergasted.

After a minute of watching to make sure the girl was alright, Spider-Man turned around to face the girl who'd been doing the bullying. She instantly shrank back in fear and guilt the second his lenses rounded on her. But instead of being rough and intimidating, Spidey surprised everyone by calmly walking forwards towards the girl in a casual, loose manner, and kneeling before her.

"Now," he said softly, as he noticed the girl's harsh breathing and wide eyes. What emotions she was feeling towards him, whether fear, or awe..., or even both, he wasn't sure. But what he did know was he did not wish to frighten the girl, even if she had been cruel.

"Why did you take her toy?" he asked, clear and to the point.

The girl just put her head down, expecting to be scolded, but already showing her guilt.

"Hey, you can tell me," Spidey soothed in a hushed voice, tilting his head to get a better look in her glassy blue eyes.

"I wanted one," the girl said, barely audibly, while avoiding eye contact with Spidey. "I couldn't have one, but I wanted one," she continued, looking close to tears.

"So, you took out your feelings on her, and took hers away?" Spidey asked softly. The girl slowly nodded.

"Hey," Spidey said, tilting her chin up to look into his wide shimmering lenses. "There is no need to bully anyone just because you're jealous or they have something you don't. Just ask. I'm sure she'll share Mr Sniggles with you if you ask her nicely," Spidey encouraged, smiling under his mask.

The girl looked down. "But I'm scared," she said.

Spidey sighed, tilting his head down. "Look, come on. I'll go with you, ok?" he asked, looking back up at her.

The girl was silent for a bit, before nodding.

"Alright," Spidey said, standing up and leading the girl over towards the other family by the hand. "Now, just because you get to do this does not mean its ok for you to ever bully someone again. If I see you bullying, I will stop you. Ok?" he told her. "Now, why don't you make the decision to be brave, and stop taking your troubles out on others, but be nice, and a hero instead, like me. I'll help you, yeah?" Spidey spoke to her quietly, as they walked back up to the family, who were watching them like hawks.

The girl nodded. "Good on you," Spidey said, giving her hand a squeeze, before once again, addressing the family. "Now, this brave girl here has something she'd like to say," he said, before letting go of her hand and stepping back slightly.

The girl looked back at the hero uncertainly for a second, ringing her hands, before facing forwards.

"I...I'm sorry for being mean to you Audrey, and trying to wreck Mr Sniggles. I promise I won't do it again," she said shyly, before looking back at Spidey again, who nudged for her to continue with a motion of his head. "A...and I was...was wondering if, I could maybe, play with him, with you?" she asked nervously.

Audrey broke out into a big grin and squirmed out of her father's grasp. "Of course you can!" she said, running up and engulfing Vanessa in a bone crushing hug, to the parents' great surprise.

Even Spidey wasn't expecting such a positive reaction, as the girls broke their hug and instantly started playing happily and peacefully together, with the small stuffed toy.

Spidey looked on with a smile as the girls played in harmony.

He knew from experience that bullies often had problems of their own. And that they took it out on others. But he also knew that those people could be good, if inspired to do good.

Like Flash Thomson for instance - once bully and taunter, turned friend and ally; punches and kicks replaced with friendly hair ruffles and pats on the back, often now seen wearing Spider-Man sweat shirts and supporting Peter Parker's alter ego. He no longer beats people up, in turn looking up to Spider-Man (ironically), and choosing to do the right thing.

Spidey looked on proudly as the children played, before he slowly snuck away from the scene, disappearing into the distance.

Everyone knew what was going to be on the news that evening.

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 **:) :) :)**

 **I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D**


	4. Crossing The Street

**I'm back! And with another story for you :) Thank you sooo much for all the amazing reviews and support I've received! I wouldn't be able to do this without it. So thanks a million! And now, read and enjoy, and of course REVIEW! Cause it cheers me up so much and gives me inspiration :D**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Amazing Spider-Man**

* * *

Birds tweeted in the scattered trees and sunrays flickered down through the partially cloudy sky as our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man sat crouched on the side of a wall, on a rather peaceful afternoon in downtown Manhattan. He was quietly watching the people walk past below him, their heads bobbing up and down a little as they walked.

It had been a rather slow day today as not many criminals had been out causing havoc, which meant, for Spidey, that he had some spare time to just rest and chill out, which was exactly what he was doing now.

Spidey giggled as a man walked past with a particularly bad hairdo. He never ceased to be amused at how nobody ever, ever, ever..., looked up. They had no idea they were being spied on by a rather large spider, sticking to the wall. (Hehe, spider on the wall, get it?).

Spidey smiled to himself at his own apparent cleverness, before a slight nudge from his spider-sense caught his attention.

Abandoning his 'people watching', he looked over in the direction of the nudge, where there was an elderly lady with a walking stick waiting at the pedestrian crossing.

Standing on the edge of the curb, she appeared to be looking around at the traffic slightly uncertainly, before looking down at her feet, as if taking the next step forward was equivalent to taking the first step on the moon.

Spidey sat up a bit from his perch, leaning forward to get a better look.

After a moment, the woman finally decided to cross the street, taking one small hesitant step forward, with the assistance of her walking stick, when the little hand once again went green.

Slowly, she began to carefully make her way across.

Unfortunately though, the rest of the world was not working at the same pace as her, and the little hand went red, as the traffic lights turned green.

Spidey could sense exactly what was going to happen next, and he quickly moved from his position on the wall, crawling down towards the ground.

* * *

Dorothy slowly walked along the crossing, her hip paining with every small step. But she had to get to the other side.

She hated that she had to cross this street in order to get home every time she went to the corner store. It was an annoyance, but an annoyance she must deal with.

She was suddenly startled from her thoughts when the traffic began to move.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, as she saw the light was no longer green. Realising her vulnerable position right in the middle of the road, she lost her concentration, dropping her walking stick and tripping slightly.

She gasped, moving her hands in front of her in an attempt to break the fall, when a strong, strangely textured hand grabbed her wrist, (and another her waist)..., and pulled her upright.

"Gotcha!" a friendly voice proclaimed. "Are you alright there ma'am?"

Dorothy took a few steadying breaths, and looked at the hand supporting her, which happened to be covered in a red glove with a strange black vein-like webbing pattern over it. The hand moved from her wrist to take her hand, and gave it a light squeeze.

"You okay?" was said again, but this time with an edge of concern.

"Oh yes, yes, I'm okay. Nothing can take this old girl down that easy," Dorothy replied confidently. She then trailed her eyes up the red and blue covered arm to come face to face with two large, white, bug lenses.

"Oh! You must be that new hero all the young folks keep talking about! Umm, what's your name? Spider-bug... err, spider-webs, ah... Ohh Spider-Man! That's it!" she said, taking her hand away from where it had been sitting under her chin in thought, and pointing enthusiastically up in the air in front of Spidey. "I'll tell ya, this old noggin is still good for something," she said, tapping the side of her head.

"Ha ha, well, you can call me Spidey. Can I help you get across the road ma'am?" Spidey responded, offering for her to wrap her arm around his neck.

"Oh, why yes thank you. How very kind of you," Dorothy answered, wrapping an arm around the back of his neck, the other pressing against his chest.

Spidey wound his own arm around her back and walked gently forward, supporting her weight.

It seemed like an achingly painful trip to the sidewalk. But soon enough, they finally made it.

Dorothy let go of him and leaned against a pole for a second, catching her breath as the sound of cheering and whistling sounded around them, along with a few, "go Spidey's!"

Spidey quickly remembered the lady's walking stick, and turned, webbing it to him before it got run over. Thankfully the cars had paused long enough for them to complete their crossing.

"Here," he said, as he handed the wooden object to her.

"Oh thank you," replied the woman. Taking it from him and setting it against the ground, before standing up.

"Well, will you be alright now?" Spidey asked.

"Yes, I should think so," the lady replied, smiling.

"Well, I guess I'd best be going now. It was nice meeting ya," Spidey said, before moving to swing away.

"Oh, no you don't!" Dorothy protested, picking up her walking stick and using the curved end to latch around Spidey's waist, pulling him back towards her.

Spidey looked down at the walking stick hooked around his middle in shock. "Hey, no, no, no, I really _do_ have to go," he protested, moving to pull away.

Dorothy just pulled him back again, while starting to move away slowly down the street.

"Nonsense, you're not going anywhere. I haven't thanked you yet! And any nice young man who helps an old woman cross the street deserves thanking!" she spoke. "I'm sure my husband won't mind. In fact, knowing him, he's probably already got a pot of tea ready. Now come!" she gave him one last tug, and he was brought into step with her.

Spidey grumbled. "Fine," he said, giving up, as she used her free arm to lead him forwards.

"It's not far, just around this corner," she said enthusiastically, as she led him around the bend, many bystanders staring at them as they passed, giving them funny looks.

Before long, they stopped in front of a small cottage-like house that reminded Spidey a lot of his own home. It had a small porch out the front with steps leading up to the door, with a wooden white-posted banister leading around it. Plants in small pots decorated the porch, and the brown and white splash of paint covering the house gave the finishing touch.

Dorothy lightly nudged him in the back, and they started walking up the steps.

"Willie! I hope you boiled the kettle, as we have a visitor!" she yelled out happily as she opened the door, ushering Spidey inside, before shutting it behind them.

Spidey felt out of place in the neatly kept, white-walled interior of the house, as his Spider-Man suit stuck out like a painfully sore thumb.

Feeling a bit like he didn't belong, he gazed at all the picture frames decorating the many shelves and cupboard tops dotted around. They were all of a younger couple, obviously the woman and her husband, many years ago. There were many pictures of them together, smiling happily, along with pictures of children, and children's children. A whole family history held within just a few framed photos.

Spidey moved forward, and carefully picked up a frame of a young girl and a brown dog with his gloved hand, recognising it as the woman he'd just helped when she was a child.

"Willie, this is Spidey," Dorothy's voice suddenly came from behind him, and he spun around, carefully putting the picture back down. "He helped me cross the street before," she finished.

"Oh! Hello there! William, William Jackson. It's an honour to meet you Spider-Man," he said, moving forward and vigorously shaking Spidey's hand in his, with a large grin on his face.

"Oh, well, it's nothing," Spidey replied, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"No really, it is an honour! I can't believe you're in my house! Would you like some tea? I heard you helped my darling wife Dorothy here cross that dreaded street," he said, turning and disappearing down a hallway.

"W...well, it, it was nothing, always glad to help," Spidey replied awkwardly, following them through the hallway and into a small kitchen, which had an old English style table sat to one side, with decorated china cups and saucers placed on it. William was just pouring some tea into the cups with a matching teapot.

"Here," he said, pushing a cup full of the steaming drink towards him.

Looking around a bit, and getting an encouraging nod and smile from Dorothy, Spidey moved forward and sat in the chair in front of it.

William soon did the same, sitting down in the chair opposite him and beginning to happily drink his tea. "Would you like any sugar or milk in that?" he asked him.

"Ahhhh no, just milk thanks," Spidey replied, and William quickly leaned forward to pour some milk in his cup.

Spidey leaned forward hesitantly, picking his cup up from its saucer and glancing over at the vintage style clock on the wall. He had to be home to Aunt May soon as they had plans for the evening, so he couldn't spend too long here.

He looked back at them both for a minute, making sure it was safe, before carefully pulling the bottom of his mask up over his mouth. Slowly, he brought the cup to his lips, and took a tentative sip. He let the concoction flood his mouth, before swallowing, the liquid warming his belly.

"Well, do you like it?" William suddenly asked, startling him slightly as he realised they'd both been watching him attentively. "It's a special brew," he informed.

"Umm, yeah, it's not bad," he mumbled, pleasantly surprised by the taste.

"Here. Have a scone," Dorothy then said, placing a scone she must have got out of the fridge on a plate in front of him. "You're way too skinny," she informed.

"Oh, no really, I'm fine," Spidey replied.

"I insist," she enforced.

Spidey sighed, letting his head drop down. "Alright, alright," he said, before picking up the scone and taking a big bite out of it.

Dorothy chuckled proudly to herself and came to sit in a chair at the end of the table between the two, placing a tray of scones in the centre, and began to drink her own tea.

* * *

A lot of chatting and a couple of scones later, Spidey stood at the doorway of the comfy little home with a happy heart and a full belly. Who knew elderly people where so good to talk to? With all their stories from lives well lived, and tales of mischief and jokes from their younger days, Spidey felt well and truly enlightened by the experience.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Spider-Man. I'm glad there's still hope amongst the young world today," Dorothy said, while grabbing him in a big hug, squeezing him to death. She'd become rather fond of the wall-crawler during his time there, and didn't quite want to let him go.

"Yeah, thanks," Spidey croaked, before she finally let him go, and he gasped for breath.

"Now, don't forget to drop in," she said. "And I'll always leave some scones out on the window-sill at night for you if you get hungry," she informed, mothering him.

"Umm..." Spidey said.

William chuckled. "Don't mind her, she can scare anyone away with her mother-hen attitude, but it was nice to meet you, Spidey," he said, nodding his head.

"You too," Spidey replied, nodding back, before he remembered Aunt May. "Well, I've got to go but, thanks for the tea and scones, I just might pop in again someday. But I've really gotta run so, latters!" he said, before jumping on the railing and leaping off.

"He, he, he's a funny one. Now, what shall we watch on TV tonight? There's that interesting show on... No, no we are not watching that sports thing again," could be heard, as Dorothy and William disappeared into their house, and closed the door behind them.

* * *

 **There you go :) I have written at least 10 of these now and rising ;) I have also written out one of the suggestions :D**


	5. Burning

**Hello there girls and boys :) Number 5 has arrived! :P I truly hope you enjoy this. And thank YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU again for all the amazing reviews and support :) It means so much to me :)**

 **Now, if you have the time, do leave a review :) It really motivates me! So, if you want more stories, leave reviews hehe :P :)**

 **WARNING: this story contains heavy emotional themes and some description of discomfort.**

 **Disclaimer: I do noteth, owneth, a thingeth.**

* * *

The heat burned as Spidey ran through the flaming apartment building, desperately searching for its unfortunate occupants.

"Hello?" he shouted. "Hello, can you hear me!?"

Smoke clogged up his throat, causing him to cough slightly as he continued his search, precious seconds ticking by with every moment that passed - the lives of the people hanging in the balance.

"Hello? Hello! We're in here, help!" the muffled reply of a woman came from within the next room.

Spidey dashed to their location as quickly as he could, scampering madly along the ceiling to avoid the flames smothering the wooden floor boards in front of the doorway.

"Where are you?" he asked, as he landed in the middle of a small bathroom. He heard the sounds of crying and quickly spun around, pulling apart the shower curtains, to find a young couple clinging tightly to each other, under the shower head.

Spidey sighed in relief when he saw they were unharmed. "Quick, grab hold," he said, before they both wound their arms around him, and he turned back to the door, quickly shooting a web, and swinging out into the main part of the apartment. Looking around, he saw that the window he'd come in through was now shrouded with flames.

Breathing heavily and searching the room, he quickly found another window and, without a second's thought, took a running leap. He smashed straight through it, angling his body so he'd take most of the force.

They both screamed in terror, pulling their arms so tightly around him that, for a moment, Spidey choked as his throat was crushed by their fearful grip.

Focusing, Spidey managed to shoot a web to the top of the building, and lowered them down safely to the ground, where firemen and paramedics were waiting for them.

They instantly let go of him, and practically fell to the ground in relief.

Spidey coughed and choked for a second, sucking in much needed oxygen as he briefly surveyed the situation.

Firemen were pouring tons and tons of water from large, round hoses at the building, yelling and shouting at one another in a panic. Spidey only needed this to tell him that things weren't going well, and that their attempts to control the fire seemed to currently be in vain.

Reacting quickly, he turned and picked up speed, before shooting another web and pulling himself straight through another window on the lower floors.

In here it was much worse. Scorching flames rose in high bursts from all around, orange embers sparking everywhere with intense heat.

"Is there anyone still in here?" Spidey yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth as he struggled to get the words out past the fuming black smoke weighing heavily in the air.

After receiving no reply he took a few steps forward, hearing the building creak and groan dangerously as he did.

"Hello, is there anyone there?" he tried one more time, beginning to wheeze slightly from smoke inhalation.

He was about to call it a day when he felt a slight nudge from his spider-sense. Coughing, and holding his arm up in front of his mouth, he looked in the suggested direction, to find a partially closed door with the name, Grace, written in colourful letters hanging off the doorknob.

Acting quickly, he raced in the direction of the room and barged in the door to find a child's bedroom aflame.

Sucking in another deep breath, he raced to the bed and ducked under it, finding a young girl of about five years old curled up into a little tight ball underneath, covered in black soot.

She wasn't breathing.

Using the last of his strength, he pulled the girl out and held her in a protective bundle in his arms, before quickly getting back to the task and tearing out of the room.

The building was well and truly burning by now as flames erupted and exploded from everywhere, the heat suffocating him under the mask as he desperately searched for an escape route.

Coughing and rasping horribly, he raced towards the hallway that would lead to the stairs and bounded down with lightning speed and agility as he got closer and closer to an exit. Running and running, he made it to the final set of stairs, feeling dizzy and light headed, as he could no longer breathe from the smoke anymore, when there was an explosion.

His spider-sense erupted. He barely registered the sound above, as part of the building came down, through the searing pain that lashed across his side, barely registered the sound of his own horrific screams as the flames burnt his skin, the only thought in his mind being to protect the bundle in his arms as his vision blurred - darkness creeping in at the edges.

He lay there at the top of the stairs, gasping and wheezing for what little bit of air he could get in his lungs, his throat thick and clogged with smoke. But all he could think about was saving that girl.

He didn't know how long he lay there on the edge of consciousness. But someone must have heard his screams, as he was surprised when the blurry face of a man wearing an oxygen mask came into his vision, leaning over him; and surprised when he felt himself being lifted up into someone's arms, whispering soothing words to him that he could not understand through his distant, scattered hearing.

* * *

Aaron burst out of the building with the precious bundle cradled in his arms, racing towards the emergency services, which all swarmed towards him.

The minute he'd heard the heart wrenching scream, he knew it was Spider-Man. And he knew that the beloved web slinger needed help. And what better way to repay him for all the wonderful things he'd done for this city, than to help him right now?

Despite protests from his fellow firefighters, he hadn't waited a second before racing straight in there to rescue the hero.

He gently lay Spidey down on the ground, who was still clutching onto the lifeless girl.

It pained him no end to see him choking and gasping desperately for air, throat moving below the costume as he did so, desperate for the life-giving substance. He had been barely responsive when he'd found him lying there pitifully in the burning building, completely helpless.

Aaron had to wipe a few tears away from his eyes as the paramedics surrounded them. The first thing they did was try to drag the girl away from Spidey's clutch, but they weren't expecting his response, as he immediately jerked and tried to pull the girl closer to him, burying her into his chest.

The paramedics moved in again, pulling the girl away with a firmer grip this time. Spidey kicked and clung onto her, panicking and being dragged along the ground slightly as he didn't let go, smacking a paramedic brutally hard in the arm with his frantic movements in the process.

"Spidey, Spidey!" Aaron yelled, bravely placing a hand to the hero's heaving chest, with another on his arm (unafraid of being hurt), to calm him.

"Spidey, it's alright," he soothed, as he stroked small circles on his arm for comfort, watching Spidey panicking and choking with awful lung-racking coughs.

Acting quickly, a paramedic moved around to Spidey's head, and placed a hand on his neck, finding the seam of his mask, before quickly sliding it up over his nose. He pressed an oxygen mask to his mouth, while tucking a hand under the hero's chin, keeping him still, and holding the mask in place.

"Shhh," Aaron eased, as Spidey continued to cough and splutter into the oxygen mask, before finally taking in his first, deep, shaky breath. "Easy," Aaron said, as if he was talking to a small child, as he rubbed Spidey's heaving chest.

"Good. That's good Spidey," he continued, as Spidey took another few deep breaths.

Slowly, they all watched as Spidey began to calm down, breathing in long, deep breaths from the oxygen mask, as he began to slowly regain his senses.

Spidey groaned as his blurry vision became clear, and he began to think straight again, the searing pain in his side burning through his mind and the pounding of his head blinding him with pain.

He groaned again, moving his head slightly, and shifting on the pavement, feeling the wonderful oxygen grace his tired, burning lungs.

There was a bit of mumbling around him, and the sound of people shifting, as he hesitantly reached up a hand to feel that there was another one holding the oxygen mask to his face, and supporting his chin. He let his arm fall back to his side when another hand gently pulled his curious fingers away and his spider-sense warned him of no danger.

Aaron watched Spidey swallow a couple of times as he seemed to regain his bearings, before the two paramedics who'd left quickly returned with supplies, and began to lay damp cloths over the nasty burn down Spidey's right side, therefore cooling it.

Spidey leaned his head back in response, obviously finding great relief in the burn being cooled.

He lay there for quite some time with the paramedics treating his wound and the hands of several other paramedics and firefighters resting on his arms and knees to soothe him. He felt himself slowly calming down, his healing factor kicking in, recovering him slowly.

He turned his head, only to see that a large crowd of people had gathered with silent concern, and news crews were covering the entire event.

Spidey went slightly red under the mask, as he'd realised the whole of New York, and possibly the world, had just witnessed his moment of weakness and panic, without him being aware of it. But there wasn't much he could do about it now, as it had already been done.

He suddenly heard the sound of sirens approaching, and before he knew it, several police cars had pulled up, and an officer was walking towards where he lay.

Spidey scrambled to push himself up as he came to a stop in front of them, glancing slightly at his now bandaged side as it flared with pain.

"O-," he coughed, "officer", he said, addressing the man.

"Spider-Man," he addressed, with a nod. "That was a brave thing you did, saving that child. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Wh-what?" Spidey asked, before he then looked down, "I'm sorry sir, but you must've heard wrong, because I didn't save that child," he said, a little choked up with guilt.

The officer's eyes just went wide, and he looked appalled. "No son, you did save that child. They managed to revive her while you were out of it," he said.

"W-what?" Spidey said, before looking in the same direction as the officer. Instantly, his eyes filled with tears and his chest hitched, as he caught sight of the young girl he'd cradled out of there, moving and very much alive, as she hugged and cried with her parents, who were clinging onto her for dear life.

A wave of the most indescribable feeling washed over him, as he couldn't believe his eyes. He'd saved her; it hadn't all been for nothing. He'd saved her!

He made a small choking sound as emotions overwhelmed him, and was surprised when the man took the oxygen mask away from his face, and the firefighter who'd dragged him out of that building brought a water bottle to his lips.

"Here. Drink," Aaron said, tipping it up slightly, encouraging the wall crawler to take it.

Spidey opened his mouth and let the soothing liquid wash over his dry tongue, swallowing it down his throat. Instantly, he greedily leaned into the water bottle for more. He guzzled it down, not realizing how dehydrated he'd become, letting the water pool in his mouth before sending it down his throat in greedy gulps, extending his neck back.

His hands pawed at Aaron's. And before he knew it, the water was gone, and he was greeted with many shocked faces.

Spidey licked his dry lips, before pulling his red mask back down again.

"Well, ah...thanks, for helping me," he said, before slowly standing up, leaning against the paramedics, and walking towards the happy family a little way away.

"Hey," he said quietly, causing their heads to turn. "Are you ok?" he asked the girl.

She broke out into a huge grin and ran up to him, hugging him tightly, nearly causing him to topple over, as he ended up cross legged on the ground in front of her instead, as she continued to hug him. He was surprised she had so much strength, for someone who'd been technically dead but a minute ago.

"Thank you so much Spidey, for saving my life," she said, her head buried in his chest, mindful of his injured side.

"It was my true honour," Spidey replied, smiling.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the mother said, as she had moved over to the two's embrace. "I don't know how we can possibly repay you for saving our daughters life!" she cried, tears streaming down her face, and smearing mascara.

"You don't have to Mrs. I don't ask for any reward," he said truthfully, as he looked up at their thankful faces, the small bundle still nuzzling into her rescuer. They had pure relief written all over them, as they both smiled at the young hero's glossy lenses with teary eyes.

"Oh, but you deserve a reward!" the girl, "Grace", suddenly said, and she turned around to her mother, motioning for her handbag. Her mother quickly obliged, handing her the bag as Grace rummaged through it, before turning around, holding up...a lollypop? Spidey couldn't help but chuckle at the simplicity of the situation, but happily held out his hand and accepted the gift.

"Thank you," he said to her, slightly amused, before slowly unwinding himself from her, and getting up.

He took in a big, deep breath. "Well," he said. "I guess I'd best be off," he added, in farewell, giving the girl a small salute, before swinging up to the roof of a nearby building.

* * *

Spidey crouched there on the rooftop, looking over the scene with a lollypop in his mouth as the chaos slowly began to calm down, the flames finally fizzling out from within the building. ' _What a night'_ he thought to himself, as he looked up at the glowing moon, shining silver light over the rooftops.

* * *

 **Awwww, I'm sorry, I just love that ending! I hope you enjoyed it :) And if you did, do let me know :)  
**

 **Thanks for reading! And have a nice day/night :)**


	6. Cranes

**I have received so much overwhelming encouragement on this, for that, I thank you all a million times over! Now, I'm back again dear readers with another story for you :) I hope it's enjoyable, and please do review! I'd really appreciate it :)**

 **This one is based on a prompt I found on the internet, so I'd like to acknowledge that there is another story out there, somewhere, that's similar to this but with a different plot. It came from the same prompt, so, yeah :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man, only this story :)**

 **Ps, isn't the crane scene from the movie just so amazing?! :)**

* * *

It was a beautiful sunny day amongst the shining, sleek skyscrapers and the majestic, blue backdrop of sky over New York City, as our little friendly neighbourhood spider lay resting in the comforting warm rays of sunshine, on the beam of a tall crane. He had a warm, homemade meal encased in a Tupperware box resting against his belly, and a cool clear water bottle cradled under one arm.

He shifted his position slightly, chasing out every last bit of sun he could get with his stretched out, slightly gangly limbs.

He felt safe here.

He knew that the crane workers would never harm him, or give away his presence. They were always silently there, looking out for the wall crawler while they worked, whenever he stopped by to rest, often switching turns to watch over him so that he didn't accidentally get hurt.

There was a special trust between them. It had slowly grown over the years, ever since they helped him swing across to Oscorp Tower with their cranes when he was injured, to help him stop the lizard. Over time it grew into a fully fledged friendship and understanding, between the two.

They'd nurture, and often feed Spidey, seeming to take the responsibility of making sure the city's very own precious hero was kept healthy, and fed. They'd sometimes even go as far as to sneak vitamins into his drink, or sprinkle extra nutrients, or probiotics, on his food. Just for a little extra.

Of course, Spidey knew this, but it wasn't a threat. So he only smiled at their efforts, finding it sweet, and slightly amusing.

Something else he'd noticed, was that if he was swinging nearby to one of their cranes, they seemed to "mysteriously" move a little towards him so he could hop up on them, or use them to swing on. If he was in a fight, or chasing a criminal, they also seemed to help make it easier for him to manoeuvre around, by silently assisting him. This, he was very grateful for.

It had now become a safe-haven for him, and he used it willingly, perching on the tops of the highest skyscraper cranes to observe over the city, looking out for any sign of trouble like a hawk. If he was injured, it was also a comforting place to heal, and recover.

Spidey pushed himself up a little and lifted his mask slightly, taking a sip of his water, tasting the light taint of strawberry flavoured vitamins mixed into it. Looking out over the city, he watched the people moving below.

He'd stopped a couple of purse snatchers this morning, and a guy who seemed determined to steal a bedside lamp, before everything seemed to run smoothly and he decided to take a break. So here he was, sipping a drink, and holding a meal made especially for him by one of the crane workers.

Speaking of the said meal, Spidey sat up fully, sitting on the beam, letting the container slide off his belly, and into his lap in one smooth movement. He put down his water and picked up the meal, carefully opening the lid. Instantly, hot steam swam out to greet him, along with the strong aroma of bolognese. "Spaghetti and meatballs," he said, giggling to himself. He then picked up the plastic fork with his gloved fingers, and shovelled a huge mouthful into his mouth.

He sat there, happily dangling his legs over either side of his beam and shoving large amounts of food into his mouth, before his spider-sense suddenly went off in his head, chilling through him, and the beam shifted slightly under him.

Hastily gulping down his current mouthful, he turned, pulling his mask down, to look in the direction of the driver, who appeared to be panicking, and yelling something into his walkie talkie.

Spidey stiffened, feeling the vibrations of the crane creaking beneath him, and cocked his head on one side, while slowly rising to all fours.

Making a decision he grabbed his half eaten meal and water, placing the lids back on and tucking them under one arm, and took off bounding up and along the small yellow beams towards the operating cabin.

Spidey barged into the door, running to stand next to where the driver was seated, who stared at his red and blue form with wide-eyed shock.

"What's wrong?" Spidey asked, in a concerned and authoritarian voice, placing his meal and water down in the nearest space.

The man looked utterly stunned for a second at the superhero standing beside him, before coming back to his senses.

"I...I...I don't know, I'm new here. The controls won't work properly," he said, before beginning to panic. "I don't know what to do, I don't know what's wrong!" he yelled, alarmed, seeming to wrestle a bit with the controls.

The crane instantly seemed to drop and creak dangerously.

Spidey gently moved him out of the way and took the lever in his strong grip, trying to pull it up without breaking it off.

"Have you called for help?" he asked.

"Umm, yeah, several of the other guys are coming," the distressed man replied, awestruck.

"Right, I'm going to have a look outside, see if I can do anything. Keep trying to steady the controls," Spidey said, handing him back the controls, before quickly disappearing out the door. The man quickly took them, breathing heavily, sweat running down his face in panic.

Spidey quickly hopped back out on the crane and it swayed dangerously under his weight, causing him to have to balance himself carefully. ' _That's not right,'_ he thought to himself.

He closed his eyes for a second, and let his spider-sense nudge him in the direction of the problem. Getting his response, he snapped his eyes back open and crawled further down the crane until he came across a point where the cable was slowly fraying. The weight was too much, and it was shifting the whole crane.

He looked down below and saw the people starting to look up at the racket, bursting into screams when they saw what was about to happen. He took notice of how large and heavy the beam they were moving really was, along with the weakening cables. It was probably to go on the skyscraper they were working on.

Gasping, he snapped his body back around when his spider-sense increased, and everything appeared to slow down as he saw the wire about to snap, the crane beginning to come apart around it from the strain. He seemed to move in slow motion as he jumped towards it, quickly grabbing the wire mere seconds before it snapped.

Suddenly, reality came back again and pain shot through his arm and shoulder as the cable finally gave, the full weight of the object weighing on Spidey's lithe body as he strained to hold it up, grabbing hold of the nearest metal bar on the crane's jib, hanging awkwardly in the middle of it.

Desperately, he twisted his legs up, winding them around the bars in a frantic attempt to hold onto the crane.

It instantly creaked and strained under his force, threatening to rip apart.

"Ahhhh," Spidey screamed, twisting himself further as he began to pull the cable back up through the jib. Part of the tip of the crane broke away and he grabbed on to the next bit seconds before it left him, watching the pieces fall to the ground, luckily missing the people. He crawled further and further, until he finally caught sight of the end of the cable hanging there loosely. Letting out a tiny sound of relief, he tangled himself around the crane, before reaching for it, and holding on with his legs as he kept his grip on the weighted mass.

Finally, his slender fingers touched the other end, pulling it towards him, stretching one leg out across the triangular shaped rungs of the crane for support.

He looked at his situation for a second, grunting with pain as he realized he had to somehow use his web shooters to tie it all up with bio-cable, while holding both lines and being in an incredibly awkward upside down position on an unstable crane. He grunted again, but this time in frustration, but he had to do this, lives depended on it.

Moving one foot slightly, he pulled down the free cable and set it under his boot, holding it there, while he twisted around and began to heave the heavy cable up closer with both hands. Just when he thought he wasn't going to make it, the two ends met together again.

Taking his foot off the other end, he again wound his leg around the rungs and held both ends of cable together momentarily with one hand, just long enough for him to get his two forefingers down on his web shooter and cover it in a thick layer of the stronger-than-steel substance. After that, he quickly shot off tons of the thin strands to add extra support in holding the cables in place.

After that was done, very slowly, he began to let go of the ends, holding his breath. Everything pulled taut for a scary moment, but luckily, it held, and he let out the breath he'd been holding.

Slowly, he unwound himself from the crane and crouched in more of a standing position, arms aching, (how much did that thing weigh!?). But he wasn't done yet, he still had one thing to do.

Quickly, he swung down to the ground, where he began to swing around madly. Attaching strands to buildings all around, he strengthened them up, going round and round, this way and that way, in a blurred frenzy until a large silk web was formed hanging directly below the heavy beam and crane, protecting the citizens from harm until they could officially fix the problem.

Finally, he swung back to the cabin of the crane, which was luckily stable, and silently entered through the door, before letting the exhaustion catch up with him, and collapsing, leaning against the chair with his tired arms, gasping for breath.

Quietly, three speechless and surprised faces spun around to look at him, alerted to his presence, disbelief silencing them.

Spidey looked up. "Well, that was certainly a thrilling experience. I've had my rollercoaster ride for the day," he joked, between heaving breaths.

"That one was weak," commented one of the men with a scruffy beard.

"Yeah I know," Spidey said. "That's what happens when you lift a ridiculous-number-of-ton weight, or, erm, ugh," Spidey said, trailing off, before waving absentmindedly in the air. "Or, whatever," he finished.

The man grinned slightly at his failed jokes, before motioning for him to come over. "Here Spidey, sit. Jake, let him have the seat for a minute," he said, addressing the guy who'd been operating the crane. He obediently squeezed out of the way, allowing Spidey to take his place in the chair.

"Ughhh," Spidey sighed, when he sank into the brown seat, leaning his head against the back and closing his eyes, as his breathing began to even out, grateful for the rest.

"Thanks," he said after a few minutes.

"No. Thank _you_ ," said the bearded man. "You just prevented a major catastrophe. For that, we thank you," he said kindly.

"Twas nothing," Spidey waved off, continuing to rest, before a chuckling sounded from behind them, and they all turned to see the third guy holding up the container of food Spidey had been eating before things went a little crazy.

"Is this the meal I made?" he said, almost excitedly.

Spidey swallowed, before sitting up straight, leaning towards him. " _You_ made it?" he asked, slightly quietly.

The man chuckled again. "Why of course I did. I always make the meals, along with Steve, Cody, Craig, and all the other people who work here. We do daily shifts of who makes the meals for Spidey," he said happily, smiling. "Even Jake here has made one once," he said, causing said man to blush.

"I'm a big fan," he mumbled.

Spidey stared at them all, jammed in the tight space, awestruck.

"You-you make a weekly effort, and roster, just to make me food?" he asked, emotion leaking through his voice.

"Yes," the man holding the meal said, "of course we do. We've got to keep you fed haven't we? Someone's gotta look after ya. You're only quite little. And you need the energy to fight crimes," he smiled. "Steve does the vitamins, always looking out for the best ones in the shops for ya, and Cody likes to make sure we feed ya lots of probiotics and stuff," he added.

Spidey didn't know what to say, as he just stared at them. He'd never really actually spoken to the crane workers before, it always being a silent relationship between them. But to actually talk to them, and hear them say that - finding out just how much they cared - was a bit of a shock, bringing it all into proportion.

"It's alright Spidey," said the bearded man, bringing him back to reality as he realized he'd been just sitting there, staring quietly.

"I-I should be the one thanking you. What you've done for me, it's..."

"It's alright Spidey, we just wish we could do more to help, and it's no bother on us, we like helping...really," he cut his speechless bumbling off.

"Well, thank you, I really appreciate it," Spidey said softly, looking down and then looking back up at him intently.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet our little spider, the boys'll be excited to hear about this," the third man said. "Now here, you'd better get going, we can deal with this now. And take this with you, goodness knows you'll need it after that," he added, holding out the meal to him with the water bottle.

"Thanks," Spidey said, yet again, slowly standing up and taking the items.

"Now, if you ever need it, Craig always likes to leave a blanket out for you on his crane at night, but you've never noticed it before, so, feel free to use it," bearded said.

"Y-yes, yes I will," Spidey replied, a little shocked that there was more he hadn't noticed.

"Now go, the city needs you," the man added.

Spidey walked passed them over to the cabin door, and looked back at them all. Rough and tough as they were, his heart swelled with warmth as he gazed at them. He nodded silently, before disappearing out the door.

* * *

The next day, after a long string of crime fighting, Spidey once again landed on one of the skyscraper cranes around New York, settling down there. Soon enough, he spotted a small Tupperware box and a drink tucked away safely.

When he crawled up to it, there was a white sticky note attached.

 _"Eat up Spidey"_ it read, with a smiley face, and he couldn't help but break into a smile, as he once again lay back and rested out lazily on the crane.

* * *

 **Hehehe :) I hope you found that a nice little story :) Do tell me your thoughts/requests :)**


	7. The Right Choice

**Hey, sorry for the wait. I didn't update last week because the site was playing up, but here is the next story "The Right Choice". I hope you enjoy :) Please review, feedback is welcome, as well as requests and I hope you have a nice day :)**

 **Guest: NOOOOOO! Why didn't I think of that? :o Now I must do a second story with the cranes just so they can take a selfie with Spidey :P (starts writing madly).**

 **Guest of honor: Hey, that's not a bad idea :)**

 **I really appreciate your reviews guys. Do feel free to tell me your thoughts :)**

 **Disclaimer: Spider-Man does not belong to me, he belongs to Stan The Man :)**

* * *

Spider-Man spun the man round while simultaneously shooting webs, wrapping him up in a thick cocoon before sticking him to the wall.

He was just in the process of stopping an illegal drug exchange between some shady men, and a bunch of teens in a back alley around one of the poorer parts of New York. He hated it when this happened, kids and other young adults getting mixed up in bad street stuff. There wasn't much he could do about it other than stop them once it had happened though, and hope that the image of the Amazing Spider-Man (moi), and what he represented, would shine a light for them to follow.

Spidey leapt up, wrapping his legs around another man's neck, causing him to panic and spin around in shock before Spidey leaned his weight backwards, reaching until his hands touched the ground, and flipped over in a back flip, taking the man with him and slamming him into the ground. He quickly showered him with webbing so that he wouldn't be getting up any time soon.

He'd just been chilling out, hanging upside down on a flag pole, and amusing himself with people's reactions and observations of him, when he'd noticed the activity going on in the alley across the road. Who was ever that stupid? But really, it saddens him when people have to waste their lives away doing such low things, only achieving taking up others time to stop them (like himself). So instead of being happy watching the little kid who'd been pointing at him and asking random questions - one of which being how he hung upside down without feeling funny - he had to go and deal with them.

Spidey sighed. One of the teens, (not much younger than himself), had decided to pick up a pipe and have a go at him.

Pulling a threatening face, the boy circled around Spidey, practically bouncing on his toes, ready to attack. He swung the pipe with what would have been impressive strength if he'd been up against a normal human, but Spidey just caught it with his hand and wrenched it from the boy's grip, before shooting several globs of webbing to attach him to the wall behind him. He then shot one to cover his mouth when he started shouting obscenities.

"Now, now, watch your language. I don't think your parents would be very happy if they heard what you were saying," Spidey said, with a slightly authoritarian voice laced with a bit of, was it, disappointment?

His spider-sense went off, and he turned around just in time to block a punch to the head from another violent teen, and several more that followed, as the teen seemed to be on a desperate adrenalin rush to take him down. They were no match for Spidey though, as one quick punch to the jaw knocked him out cold - (although he tried to be as gentle as possible) - right before another one jumped on his back and tried to strangle him. He quickly threw him off and webbed both of them up before he caught movement in the corner of his eye. He spun around with lightning speed and slammed the culprit into the wall with an arm over his chest.

The boy gasped in terror, dropping the pipe one of the previous boys had used with a clatter, and started panting in scattered breaths, his eyes wide with horror as he helplessly tried to cower away from Spidey.

"Please! Please, please don't hurt me please. I'm sorry! Please!" he all out screamed, turning his head to the side, avoiding eye contact with Spidey, frightened tears beginning to fall from his blue eyes.

Spidey stopped instantly, mid punch, staring at the boy in front of him who was about thirteen/fourteen years of age, surprised by the reaction. But that moment cost him, as his spider-sense went off, and one last boy who he'd missed came up behind him, slicing his arm with a knife.

Spidey let out a scream, confusing the boy in his grip who hadn't seen the other behind him, before turning around and webbing the knife away, quickly punching the attacker in the face, effectively knocking him out.

Silence finally filled the alley after the last one was down, apart from Spidey and the boy's harsh breathing.

"Urgh," Spidey voiced, as he held his bleeding arm. He really shouldn't let himself get distracted like that, but it wasn't the most important matter right now, as his company was still pressed up against the wall, now shaking, with his eyes following Spidey's every move.

"Uh, hey, I really should keep an eye out, ow," Spidey said, in his most friendly voice, moving towards the boy.

"Are you going to hurt me?" the boy asked, his voice wavering.

Spidey paused a few feet in front of him. "No, I'm not gonna hurt you," he said, shaking his head.

The boy gave him a look of disbelief. "W-hat, why?" he asked.

Spidey cocked his head in a friendly manner. "Because you said please," he said, as if it was obvious.

The boy just gasped in shock. "But, but I deserve it. I tried to hurt you and-and was trying to buy drugs," he said, before looking down and breaking into tears, his whole posture dropping, all previous fear and shaking gone.

Spidey instantly took a few slow steps forward, and wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him tight as he cried. "It's alright," he said, "it's alright."

They seemed to stand like that for ages before they finally pulled away, the kid wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "You're bleeding!" he suddenly said.

Spidey felt confused for a second, before looking down at his arm. "Oh right," he said. He'd completely forgotten about it. "It's nothing," he reassured, before looking up to find the boy was no longer in front of him. A noise suddenly sounded from further down the alley, and he turned to find him rummaging through a backpack that had been left there.

"Here," he said, as he grabbed something from the bag and ran back over to Spidey. "It's not much, but it's all I have," he added, as he began opening up a long bandaid. He reached for Spidey's arm, but he pulled back.

"No really, I'm fine. It'll heal in a few hours," he said, but the boy proceeded.

Grabbing his arm he pulled back the spandex a bit to reveal the cut, before quickly pulling a clean handkerchief from his jean pocket, expressing a look of concentration as he dabbed at the wound.

Spidey hissed as the boy cleaned away the blood and grime, before he pulled out the bandaid from its package, and placed it with extreme care on Spidey's wound. "There," he said. It fit perfectly.

Spidey moved his arm around for a bit, examining it, before responding. "Huh, thanks," he said, feeling the small, brown object.

"No problem," the boy replied. "It was my fault you got hurt, soo..."

They both just stood there in awkward silence for a moment.

"Well, would you like me to swing you home?" Spidey suddenly asked, looking at him almost questioningly.

"Why would you do that?" the boy said, looking up at him. "I'm the bad guy aren't I?" he asked, raising his voice.

"Not necessarily," Spidey replied calmly, "That's up to you. It's your choice. It just depends on whether you really want to be the bad guy or not, and whether you make the right decision. Nothing is set in stone," he said, watching him.

The boy just looked at Spidey curiously, before creasing his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked.

"Really," Spidey replied, smiling slightly under the mask.

The boy looked down. "Ok," he said. "I thought I had to do this to fit in with my friends, and that it was the only way, but I can't. I can't do it!" he said, before running back to his bag and violently throwing something out that looked suspiciously much like drugs, then slinging it over his shoulders and walking back towards Spidey, who had a proud smile hidden under the mask.

"No more," the boy said, before hopping onto Spidey's back.

Spidey lifted him up to get a better grip. "Good choice," he said. "So, where to?" he asked, with a lively chirp in his voice.

The boy gave him the address and he took off down the street - making sure to web the drugs that had been thrown away for the police to find - leaving behind a bunch of moaning, webbed up crooks.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I dearly hope you enjoyed :) And keep an eye out for more in the future ;) :D  
**


	8. An Unexpected Shopping Trip

**I've always wanted a story where Spider-Man goes shopping, but I could never find any. So, I decided to make one ;)**

 **dwillett1: I think some of the things in this story will comply well with your suggestions :P**

 **Well, I have an over-excited announcement to make. We have reached 100 reviews! Like, just now! 100! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Thankyou so much everyone! I never would have dreamed this would get that far, literally. Thankyou!**

 **Now, read and enjoy the new story. From me, to you :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man**

* * *

Spider-Man had gotten himself into quite a pickle, as he sat perched on the top of a street lamp.

He had just hung up his phone from talking to Aunt May, who'd just happened to ask him to get some shopping as they were low on food and did not have the right ingredients to make whatever extravagant meal she'd decided to cook up this time. But he was out as Spider-Man, and his street clothes were in his bag, which happened to be halfway across the city, not far from his house - where he'd left it earlier.

 _'Dang. Now what?'_ he thought to himself, as he looked down at his costume.

Aunt May had specifically asked for the shopping, now! And if he went for his clothes, he'd then have to get changed and travel all the way back again, therefore wasting time.

Ugh! And could he even go shopping as Spider-Man? Would that even work? And what if Aunt May saw? It would definitely look a bit suspicious.

But then he saw the small shopping centre just down the road catching his attention in the corner of his eye, open doors tempting him in.

He groaned. ' _Oh_ _what the hell,'_ he thought, as he stretched up on the lamp, and swung himself down in front of the automated glass doors. He'd just have to risk it, that or face Aunt May's wrath and further suspicion as to what he was really doing. He had some money tucked away safely in the belt of his costume; he would just have to use that to pay.

As soon as he touched down on the ground, many people gasped in shock and awe, some stumbling back a little at his sudden presence in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Well, so much for going quietly," he mumbled.

All the people stared, as Spidey casually strolled into the grocery store.

The gasps and reactions increased when his unmistakable, brightly coloured red and blue clad form entered the doors, with one of the ladies at the cash register even dropping something when she saw him.

They all looked scared for a second, flitting their eyes around, half expecting a burglar or criminal to jump out of nowhere, but were surprised when Spidey simply ignored this, and calmly walked over, picking up a shopping basket.

What happened next was quite intriguing, as Spidey had never really done this before - at least not in a popular place - and the people's reactions were quite surprising.

 _'Right, what's first?'_ he thought, as he remembered what his Aunt had asked for. _'Organic eggs, of course, always eggs. Ah, milk, bread, butter, tomatoes, cheese, mince, basil, err, carrots and spaghetti. Yes I think that's it, oh and cereal,'_ he recalled, as he listed off all the things he had to get. He hadn't realised he'd been standing there with his head in his hand as he'd been remembering this. And the people were surprised at seeing Spidey look so, normal.

Oblivious, Spidey immediately looked up, (taking his hand away from his large bug eyes), and strolled right towards the first isle.

Quickly reaching the eggs section, he searched for the cheapest organic ones before moving forward to take one off the pile, but started as a man who had also been looking at the eggs jumped and yelled out when he turned to see Spidey standing practically right next to his face.

Spidey instantly yelped and dropped the eggs he'd been holding. But instead of shattering, the man who'd startled him moved at lightning speed (for a human), and caught the delicate eggs before they hit the ground.

"Oh Spidey I'm so sorry, you just startled me is all, I didn't see you there. I'm so sorry!" the man desperately apologised, looking terribly sorry for scaring the hero.

"No, no it's alright, you have every right to be shocked, it's not your fault," Spidey babbled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"No, no it's my fault, I shouldn't have scared you. Here, here's your...ah, eggs?" the man replied, in a desperate rush, before properly realising that he was holding a carton of eggs, a carton of eggs that Spider-Man had just been trying to take from the shelf a minute ago. "Wh...?" he mumbled, before Spidey gently reached out and took the eggs from him, carefully leaning over and placing them in a red shopping basket that the man hadn't even noticed he had draped over one arm.

"Ah, thanks," Spidey said, shifting nervously, as the man looked into his large goggles.

"No problem," the man replied absentmindedly, before watching Spidey with a slightly slack jaw, (his hands still up in the air from when he'd held out the carton of eggs), as he walked past him.

"Phew," Spidey breathed, as he continued on, his unique walking style obvious as he went, with shoulders hunched slightly and the tiniest of loose swaggers or lilt to his step. He felt slightly awkward from his confrontation with the shocked man, but he had to get this over with for Aunt May.

Without wasting much time, he moved through the store, quickly gathering mince, cheese, milk and butter. But he had to pause for the spaghetti, for a slightly short woman was standing in front of them, trying to reach something on the top shelf. He watched her for a minute, as she struggled to stretch for the desired item, huffing and puffing as she did, looking from side to side every now and then to see if anyone was watching her.

Spidey cocked his head slightly, before taking a quick stride forward and reaching up to grab the item, pulling it down and handing it to her.

She gasped. "Oh thank you..., Spidey? What are you doing here?" she asked, as she took it from him and noticed who her helper was.

"Well, yeah, unless there's someone else dressed up like a spider around here," he joked cheerily.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated, confusion on her face.

Spidey looked at her. "Oh, well, shopping, bit low on food," he said, pointing to his basket.

She stared at him. "You? Sh-shopping?" she stuttered.

"Umm, well, yeah," Spidey replied, shifting his feet slightly and leaning his head on one side, wanting further explanation.

"You eat?" she asked, appearing genuinely interested.

Spidey laughed. "Well of course I do, wouldn't be able to keep this strong spidery figure if I didn't," he said in a joking manner.

The woman let out a small laugh, looking at him with fascination in her eyes. "Wow, just didn't think you'd be so, human," she said. "Always thought you'd be more, I don't know, inhuman," she elaborated, her eyes staring deeply into his insect ones, her head moving from side to side slightly as she studied him up close, his movements following hers to the exact inch.

"Really?" he asked her curiously, straightening his head.

"Yeah," she said in reply, sounding like she was in a faraway place.

"Well," Spidey piped up, breaking the mood, and grabbing his spaghetti. "Better get going, food's not gonna buy itself," he said, before raising his hand as if to shoot a web and swing away, only to realise he was still in the store and it had a low ceiling. "Oh," he said, staring down at his wrist, before looking back up at her. "Ah well, ah, cya," he said awkwardly, with a tiny wave, before walking away, like any normal person would.

"Bye," the woman said, spellbound, to his retreating back, looking at the large spider symbol stretched over his lanky form, as if she couldn't quite believe what had just happened.

* * *

The rest of the shopping trip went quite the same, Spidey having lots of confrontations with many pleasantly surprised shoppers. Most seemed quite happy and cheerful to see New York's resident hero shopping in their local store, some trying to show him the best products or their favourite foods/brands. He had to discreetly remove an object he didn't want, every now and then, that someone had over-excitedly placed in his shopping basket.

He was just collecting the last few items when a child started screaming nearby. Out of curiosity, Spidey turned his head to see what was going on.

A little child of about three or four was having a tantrum, sitting up in a shopping trolley.

Spidey placed the basil in his basket, before looking on the situation.

The child appeared to want a toy that was hanging up on one of the shelves, (like any child would), and was kicking up a fuss. The poor mother seemed quite flustered and distressed, trying desperately to calm her screaming child and move on, getting a few stares from other shoppers. That's when Spidey got an idea.

Slowly, he walked up to the pair, before placing his basket of food down on the ground behind them, and then quickly stepped into the kid's view, leaning down close and wrapping an arm around their shoulders.

He saw it was a little girl. She had pink ribbons tied in her short, dirty blond hair, and a frilly yellow dress on, making her look quite adorable, even in her distressed state.

"Hey there, do you know who I am?" he asked, in his usual soft, kind voice.

Something crashed to the ground on the other side of the trolley, as the mother turned and instantly dropped something at the sight of Spider-Man, leaning over her child.

The little girl nodded at Spidey - now silent, big blue eyes staring widely at his bug ones.

"Well then, what is it you're so unhappy about?" he asked her, "...because it saddens me to see you so sad."

"It does?" the little girl asked, genuinely curious, little red face surprised at his words.

"Yeah, yeah it does. It's always sad to see someone else sad," he answered, before placing a gentle, gloved finger under her chin. "How about we see a smile there, hey? You look so much prettier with one," he coaxed, and, as if by magic, she broke out into a big, toothy grin, accompanied by a little giggle.

"Now, that's more like it! What is it you wanted? Maybe Spidey"- he pointed to his spider themed chest -"can make it for you out of pure silk. Would you like that?" he asked, with a slightly cheeky tone to his voice.

She instantly shifted upwards in her seat in extreme excitement, as she grinned up at him from ear to ear, eyes shining with absolute glee.

Spidey let out a giggle at her reaction, his head mere inches away from the side of hers, due to his position leaned around her.

"I wanted that unicorn," she said, pointing up at one of the toys in packaging, hanging along the edge of the shelf. "But mummy won't let me have it," she continued.

Spidey looked up at the designated toy. It was only a simple thing, a basic plastic unicorn form.

Spidey hummed to himself, shifting so he was leaning over the girl from behind to get a better look at the toy, moving his hands round in front of her, as he began to work.

The process was fascinating. The girl's eyes widened (while the mother also broke out of her shocked state to stare closely at his hands with fascination) as he began to weave with his web. His fingers moved in an oddly expert way as they worked delicately around the silky strands he was carefully shooting from the web shooters attached to his wrists, which not many people ever saw. They transitioned from pressing down on his palm to shoot the web (in his famous hand position), to delicately weaving and spinning.

Before long a shape began to appear - a body forming, with legs and a tail. Then its neck and head emerged, with a swirled horn protruding from the top. The next thing they knew, there was a white shimmering unicorn held in Spidey's hands.

"Here you go," he said, handing it to the little girl and leaning his chin down over her head, "just for you," he added.

The little girl was shocked, and took a second to take it from Spidey's hand, but when she did, she clutched it gently, treating it with extreme care, before pulling it in close to her chest in love.

"I guess you like it then," Spidey chuckled, before moving back and patting her hair. "There you go," he said. "I don't think you'll have any more trouble," he then addressed the mother, who was still staring.

"Have fun kiddo," he said to the girl, before quickly retrieving his shopping basket, and walking off, leaving one very happy child, and one very shocked mother behind.

"Now," he thought, as he worked out the last things he needed.

* * *

Before long, Spidey had finally finished his shopping, and quickly stood in line to pass through the register to pay for his items, getting many stares as he did so.

Soon enough, it was his turn to move through.

"Umm, hello," he said to the cashier, who was looking (as usual) rather shocked to be serving Spider-Man. "Ahh," he said, when he didn't get a reply, instead placing the items on the counter.

The man mindlessly started bleeping through the objects, while Spidey stood there, looking around awkwardly.

"That would be $38 and 95 cents," the man announced, startling Spidey slightly.

"Oh right," he said, reaching into his belt and pulling out the correct money. He quickly handed it to the cashier, who took it with a shaking hand, before fumbling around in the cash register, fetching his change and dropping it in Spidey's hand.

"Thanks," Spidey said, replacing it in his belt, before he went to pick up his bags, only to realise he hadn't thought how he was going to get them home. "Ughh," he mumbled, but quickly got an idea, as using the same technique as before, he began to weave several strong bags of webbing.

He placed the plastic bags within his web ones, (extra padding for the eggs), and then proceeded to attach them securely to his back, sort of strapping web around his middle to make sure they didn't come loose, the action causing lots of stares.

"Right, cya," Spidey said, waving at the cashier and the rest of the shoppers, before walking out the door with his precious load. But before he could swing away, he noticed the short woman from earlier struggling to carry all her shopping bags to her car.

Acting quickly, he ran over to her.

"Here, let me help," he said, as he took the bags from her and held them all with ease.

The woman sighed with relief. "Oh thank you," she said, before looking at him there for a second holding her shopping, along with the cocoon on his back. "Ah, car's this way," she said, pointing, before leading the webbed wonder towards her small vehicle parked a little way up the street. She fumbled with her keys for a minute before pressing a button, the car unlocking with a satisfying beeping. "Here," she said, as she opened the boot, and Spidey quickly deposited the bags inside.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Spidey replied, before leaping away on a web.

* * *

The swing was quite an awkward one, as he felt a bit like a turtle with a shell on its back, but soon enough he made it to his backpack, quickly severing the strands of web and placing the bags on the floor, before changing into his normal civilian clothes, which consisted of his usual jeans and a dark hoodie.

After spending quite a while ripping all the bits of webbing off the shopping bags, Peter made his way home, and that evening they had quite a meal, as Aunt May made a delicious masterpiece.

But unbeknownst to Peter, she saw the news footage of the phenomena of Spider-Man going shopping, a small smile stretched across her kind face.

* * *

 **There you go :) Remember to review ;) And as usual, there are more on the way :)**


	9. Accident

**Here's the 9th story :) Read and don't forget to leave a review :) Also, once again, your continued support has been just amazing! I can never thank you enough! It makes me so happy to know that I'm making others happy :) So yeeeeeee!**

 **Warning: Mild description of injuries**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man or The Amazing Spider-Man.**

* * *

The fresh cool air rippled past Spidey's form as he whipped through the sky, flipping and thwiping along - in pure bliss.

Oh how he loved this, being free as a bird and flying wild with the wind as he sailed high amongst the twinkly lights of skyscrapers, making it almost look like a sky of stars from up high in the air.

With no limitations and no rules to bind him, he dove and twirled around in joy, the biggest of grins plastered across his face under the mask. It was like his own personal thrill ride, swinging and leaping around, feeling the effects of gravity pull at his body.

" _Ah this is the life,"_ he thought, flipping over onto his back and letting himself free fall down towards the ground. If he closed his eyes, it almost felt like he was floating amongst clouds, but the familiar tingle from his spider-sense reminded him that this wasn't the case, and with a quick shot of a web, he turned himself around, snapping back to reality.

The moon was out big and bright tonight as he sailed along, it's shimmery light catching Spidey's form as he moved past like a shadow of the night, blending in with the darkness, resembling that of a sneaky predator on the hunt.

* * *

Before long, the Brooklyn Bridge came into view - and he sped up, making his way across the large, magnificent construction, along with the many lit up cars flowing down below.

He propelled himself along, feeling the rush of fresh air whistle past him, closing his eyes in contentment for a second, just before his spider-sense burst to life in his head.

Startled, he snapped himself out of it - becoming alert. But it was too late.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion, as Spidey saw the car heading straight for his speeding form, headlights blinding him as they shone in his eyes, and the terrified, shocked faces of a woman and her son.

Smash!

Metal and glass cracked and dented as Spidey's body collided head on with the vehicle, pain racing its way up his body, flaring up around his leg and abdomen. But it didn't end there.

He bounced straight off the front of the car, flying to the left, slamming his back and head violently against the side of a truck, before falling towards yet another car that hit him in the chest. His body then made contact with the tar, as he rolled against the ground, cars screeching and pounding on the breaks as they tried desperately not to run over their wounded hero.

A car passed over the top of him safely, before also coming to a skidded halt, the street becoming eerily quiet for a split second, as all the cars banked up and stopped.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Spidey was barely aware of what was going on around him, as his beaten and bruised body lay in the middle of the road, his chest heaving and coughing as he took in a deep, painful breath as the air finally came back into his lungs.

He hacked and wheezed as he tried to get back in control of his breathing.

Then, someone screamed, followed quickly by another scream, followed by many shouts and voices.

Spidey couldn't make sense of it all, as he tried to focus his dizzy head, fighting not to pass out.

Then, there were running footsteps, and the sound of someone thudding down next to him, before the extremely distressed face of the woman he recognised as being the one driving the car came into his view.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" she said, panicking, moving from holding her hands out shakily towards his wounded form to cupping her mouth with them, unsure of what to do.

Spidey tried to reply, but a horribly painful moan was all that made its way out of his throat, as he took another heaving breathe.

"It's alright, it's alright," a man suddenly said, appearing in Spidey's vision on the other side of him, obviously talking to the woman, before looking down. "Someone call 911!" he yelled out over his shoulder, ahead of quickly placing a hand on Spidey's chest.

"Spider-Man, can you hear me?" he asked, looking into his masked face, searching for any kind of response. Spidey moaned again. It was all he could do to reply in his shocked state.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault," the woman said, bursting into hysterics, before someone quickly came up behind her, and held her shoulders comfortingly.

"Where does it hurt?" the man asked him, Spidey taking a second to register the question.

"Ugh, everywhere," he managed to choke out, swallowing heavily, before heaving another shuddering breath.

The man laughed slightly, "Yeah, I get that, but more specifically?" he asked.

"Ah stomach, abdomen, right leg, ribs," Spidey started elaborating, listing things off, "my neck, and..., and I feel dizzy," he finished.

The woman sobbed, "Please, someone, he's in pain, someone give him something for the pain, help him," she begged.

Spidey felt a pang of sorrow in his heart for this poor woman, who was feeling responsible for hurting him, but there wasn't much he could do to reassure her that he would be fine in his current condition.

Suddenly, there were someone's hands under his chin, pulling the mask up. Spidey started to panic, kicking his legs out slightly before his head was carefully lifted, and a hand slipped two fingers in his mouth, resting something against the back of his tongue.

" _What?"_ Spidey thought, before cool and wet liquid washed into his mouth, and they let go of the small object. Spidey instantly gulped, swallowing hard before the fingers even had a chance to be completely removed from his mouth, as something hard and smooth slipped down his throat.

"It's alright, it went down - he swallowed it. That will help with the pain," someone from behind him said kindly, before their hands moved to cup the back of his skull, causing him to flinch, feeling around the bump there, as they then began to run gently down his slender neck.

"I can't feel any major damage, but he's got one nasty bump on his head, and may have a bit of whiplash," the person said again.

"Thank you, thank you!" the woman said, sounding heavily relieved, before Spidey felt another hand come to rest on his belly.

"He's got a nasty gash on his side here, and probably some heavy bruising, and his leg doesn't look too good." The hands then moved up his ribs, causing him to whimper and gasp, flinching away from the touch. "Possibly a few broken ribs too," they added.

"Has anyone got a cloth or some warm water?" yet another voice asked, before there were a number of words exchanged, and something warm and wet was placed against his belly.

It was at that moment, that Spidey realised what was going on. They were caring for him, taking treating his wounds into their own hands before the ambulance even got there. He could never have imagined it.

Suddenly, Spidey felt an odd calm surround him at this revelation, as he didn't know how many different pairs of hands began to clean cuts and sores all over his body with some warm water they'd managed to get from somewhere. But he didn't squirm, and he didn't struggle, as he lay there astounded at what was happening around him right here, and right now.

Someone tried to nudge his fist open to get to some scrapes on his hand from when he rolled across the pavement, and he slowly curled his palm open to give them access. They quickly proceeded to carefully clean up his wounds.

"Spidey?" a small voice broke through the chaos, and Spidey turned his head slightly to see who'd spoken.

The kid who'd been in the car, (a little boy), was kneeling nervously beside him. His eyes were filled with tears and his face was red from crying.

Spidey grunted. "Hey there kiddo," he answered, trying to mask as much pain as possible from his voice. Several people paused and looked over at the sound of him talking. "What's the matter?" he asked.

The boy sniffed. "We hit you with the car, and mummy said you were really hurt," he said, tears dripping down his little face. "I don't want you to die; I don't want to kill you!" he then let out, weeping.

"Aww," Spidey replied, shifting to lift a hand and wipe the tears from the boy's cheeks. "I'm not gonna die, I'm gonna be fine ok? I promise," he said, reassuring the boy. The child sniffed again, but smiled slightly.

"Rrrrr," Spidey suddenly moaned, as someone unexpectedly pressed particularly hard against one of his wounds.

The boy started, instantly frightened and stepping back slightly in panic, revealing a small brown teddy that was being held loosely in one hand.

"Hey. Hey, hey!" Spidey said quickly, turning back around and composing himself, reaching out for the boy's hand. "It's alright, it's alright," he soothed, trying to reassure him. The boy slowly came back, and took his hand, looking a little edgy. "Your teddy, what's its name?" he asked, trying to distract him. He could hear the sound of the sirens coming now in the distance.

"Just Fred," the boy responded, looking down at said teddy.

"Fred, that's, that's cool," he said, also succeeding in distracting himself from the pain. "Where'd you get him from?" he asked, panting slightly.

"My mama bought him for me," he answered, seeming to go off into a happy memory.

Spidey let out a huffed smile. "Well, you must have a lovely mummy then," he said.

The boy smiled. "Yes," he announced, before looking over to where his mother was sitting - trying to calm down.

Just then, an ambulance pulled up at the scene, along with a police car, and paramedics rushed out of the doors, quickly opening up the back and pulling out a stretcher.

"Now, why don't you go and comfort your mother hey? I think she needs your strength, yeah?" Spidey quickly told the boy, as the paramedics came round.

The boy looked back at his mother. "Yeah," he said, before giving him a smile and running off to help his other family member.

Spidey watched him go before looking straight up again as he felt the people begin to lift him - moving him gently onto the stretcher.

"He's got a broken leg and a nasty bump on the head, bit of whiplash and bruises/cuts up his abdomen. Few broken ribs too," one of the men informed the paramedics, as they began to comb their hands over his red and blue body, checking each wound and assessing his condition.

Soon, his head was lifted slightly, and a neck brace was slipped gently round his neck, before he felt them get to work, stitching, putting on antiseptic, and bandaging his injuries.

It wasn't until they went to re-set his leg, (after cutting the suit away, to Spidey's annoyance, and removing his boot), that they had problems, as two strong pairs of hands gripped it firmly.

"Spidey? We're going to re-set your leg now, and it's going to hurt. You ready?" one of the medics asked.

Spidey gave a short nod of his head, before they got in position.

"Right. One, two, three!" they yelled, moving the bones back in place on 'three'. Spidey tried his best not to react, but couldn't help it when the harsh scream ripped from his throat.

No sooner than it had started, it was over, and they began wrapping his leg up tightly, and placing a cast on it - the pain medicine that the man had forced down him earlier kicking in, which he was now very grateful for.

Spidey took a few steadying breaths before a female paramedic came up beside him to bandage his ribs, and he couldn't help but notice the slightly star-struck look on her face.

He smiled to himself. "I guess it's not every day you have your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man on your stretcher," he said, with humorous wit, trying to make light of the situation. As he'd hoped, the woman smiled, looking at his masked face briefly.

"Well, it's not every day the great hero Spider-Man gets hit by a family car," was the smart reply.

"Oooo I'm wounded," Spidey mocked.

"Quite," she replied, as she began binding his ribs, causing Spidey to chuckle dryly.

"Yeah," he responded, painfully.

"You should look after yourself more," she said, suddenly turning serious, as she cut the bandage and sealed it firmly in place with some medical tape.

Spidey sighed. "You're not the only person to say that," he said, sounding surprisingly tired and sad all of a sudden.

"Smart person," she replied, before seeming to change the mood. "You're all done," she said, as she moved back from her skilled work.

Spidey looked down and stared at the bandage. "Thanks," he replied.

"I wouldn't move too much for a while, as you're going to be sore, so I suggest you rest," she said strictly, before packing up her things and moving away, leaving the other paramedic still checking his leg.

"Right," Spidey breathed, resting back on the makeshift bed. He wasn't there long, before a familiar voice sounded beside him.

"How you doing buddy?"

Quickly, Spidey looked round, to see the man who'd given him the painkiller and first started checking him over, standing there watching him.

"Better, much better," he replied honestly."Umm, thanks for the help, before," he added, thanking him.

The man chuckled kindly. "No problem, it was my pleasure. You're important to this city, and we'd hate to see something happen to you," he said honestly, causing Spidey to stare at him for a long moment.

Suddenly, running footsteps could be heard, and the little boy appeared again next to the man, smiling widely. "Is Spidey feeling better?" he asked.

The man smiled down at him. "Yes, Spidey's feeling better," he said. "Would you like to see him?" he asked. The little boy nodded eagerly, and before he knew it, he was picked up, and placed on the edge of the stretcher next to Spidey, who he quickly threw himself at in a hug. Spidey grunted in pain at his neck being squished, causing the boy to back away apologetically.

"Is Spidey's neck sore?" he asked, looking back at the man.

"Yes, he hurt it a bit when he fell, but he'll be alright, he's a tough little guy," the man replied, giving the boy a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, who smiled back at him.

Spidey shifted slightly, trying to push himself up into a sitting position, grunting a little as he held his ribs. He pulled his good leg up so he was half crossed legged, before looking up at them. "You wouldn't happen to have any more of those pain killers would you?" he asked, feeling his body already beginning to burn up the previous one.

"Umm, yeah sure," the man said, quickly searching around in his jacket and pulling out a packet, before popping one out of the tin foil, a water bottle emerging in his other hand.

"Can I give it to him?" the boy suddenly piped up, watching what the man was doing closely.

"Well, if it's ok with Spidey, I don't see why not," he responded, after a short surprised pause.

"It's alright with me," Spidey confirmed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Right then," he said, before placing the tablet in the boy's small hand, and easing him forward with a hand on his back. "Now, if Spidey here will lift his mask up, you're going to pop this in his mouth, right on the middle of his tongue, yeah?" he informed the boy, while Spidey quickly obliged by lifting his mask up. He felt rather amused at the little exchange, but touched at the same time by the boy's sweet gentleness. In most normal situations, he would not let this happen, but something in him felt like he could trust these two, and that he might as well let the boy take care of him on this occasion, even if it wasn't needed.

The boy shifted forwards on the stretcher and reached up towards his mouth, which Spidey quickly responded to by opening wide.

Just like he was instructed, he placed the small tablet oh-so-carefully on Spidey's tongue.

"Good," the man congratulated, before moving a hand round to rest behind Spidey's head, "now, we're going to give him this water to help him swallow it, wetting his throat so it goes down nice and easy and he doesn't choke, alright?" the man said next, causing Spidey to nearly chuckle at the over-seriousness of the situation.

The boy didn't reply, instead, he reached up with his other hand, and placed it under Spidey's chin, with a look of heavy concentration on his face.

Spidey tried to shift back slightly, the gesture taking him by surprise, before a water bottle was placed at his lips with the other hand.

"There you go Spidey," the boy said, before tilting back the bottle so the water entered his mouth. Not seeing any other option, Spidey swallowed, the tablet making it partway before he took another few heavy gulps, washing it down, heavily aware of the small hand under his chin.

"Good little spider," the boy suddenly congratulated, giving his neck a few strokes, before beaming over at the man.

"Wow, you could make a good nurse someday kiddo, good job!" he said, surprised.

Spidey licked his lips before pulling the mask back down, and sighing as he felt the pain killer once again taking effect.

In the corner of his eye he saw the kid's mother over talking to the policeman, before she began to make her way over.

"Hello Spider-Man, I'm sorry for hitting you with our car," she said, eyeing him carefully, her gaze roaming over his bandages.

"It's alright, no harm done, I heal quickly," Spidey brushed off lightly with a wave of his hand.

"I gave him medicine mummy!" the boy announced excitedly, staring up at his mother.

She looked shocked for a second, staring from Spidey to her son. "You did?" she asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, he did, just some painkillers though to help him feel better, but he's quite the little carer," the man piped in, answering her question.

The woman looked surprised. "Yes, he's always been a caring boy, likes to look after his siblings when they're sick, and is great for helping round the house," she explained.

"Well, you're a lucky mother. You've got a good kid there. He'll grow up to be quite something, I'm sure," Spidey interjected warmly.

"Well, thank you," she said sincerely, looking into his large lenses. "Will you be alright now?" she asked.

"Yup, not to worry, I'll be fine," Spidey reassured. "Was just a bit of a shock is all," he said.

She smiled. "Well, I guess I'd better get this one home. Unfortunately, the car will have to be repaired, but my husband will be waiting with dinner," she said. "Come on sweetie," she then addressed the boy, telling him it was time to go.

"Goodnight Spidey," he said, leaning forward, placing a hand on either side of Spidey's face, and giving the hero a kiss on the forehead, before taking off after his mother.

"Well, that was cute," the man said, after a moment of silence.

Spidey chuckled.

"I can just see him becoming a great nurse one day, will have to keep an eye out," he added.

"Yeah, agreed," Spidey said, before the paramedic returning caught his attention.

"What are you doing? I thought I told you to rest!" she scrutinised, storming over.

Spidey sighed. "Actually, well, I think I better get going now. Thanks for all your help and all, but, I have people who worry. See-ya!" he waved, as he shot a web, and gingerly swung away after taking his neck brace off and collecting his boot, being careful not to aggravate his injuries.

"Why that little...!" the medic fumed, as she reached the stretcher a second too late.

The man chuckled as he watched Spidey go. "He's quite the character isn't he?" he said, smiling to himself.

The medic just grumbled and stormed off.

Meanwhile, Spidey took note of the people spotted around the bridge, watching him swing away, a couple of news crews included.

"Oh," he groaned, "they just _have_ to follow me everywhere don't they?" he complained, as he swung off towards home, dreading the papers the next morning. J Jonah Jameson will have a ball out of this one.

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 **:D :D :D**


	10. A Rainy Day

**Suggested by FrivolousThoughts, I bring you, "A Rainy Day" :) Now, this one was a nightmare to edit, but here you go :) I shall now go and collapse in a pile of limbs, and sleep... lol. Please leave feedback, as it's appreciated, and I hope this moves you :)**

 **Disclaimer: You know how this goes, I own nothing, bla bla bla etc**

 **Now enjoy :)**

* * *

Rain droplets splashed on the pavement, falling from the dark vapour clouds weighing heavily in the sky, being sprayed up as car wheels drove past, scattering the swirling pools collecting in the gutters in all different directions. The day was promising to be a miserable one, as pedestrians all hid under wide umbrellas, trickles of water pattering down the giant glass windows of the buildings as Sarah stood, not caring about the wetness soaking through her, on the top of a tall skyscraper.

Sarah thought the weather reflected her mood perfectly. The rain, mixing with her salty tears as they trickled down her cheeks, reminded her of why she was here.

Life - it sounded like such a happy, joyous word, but to Sarah, it was nothing but a burden, a curse she had to live with every day. A curse she wanted to end.

Looking down, she watched some children play in the growing puddles, giggling as they jumped and splashed, not a care in the world. Oh how she wished she could be like them, careless and free. But they didn't realise; they didn't know what was coming for them, what horrors they would face.

Sarah's eyes wandered over the scene many stories below her, until her gaze lingered on the red and blue lights shining from several different parked police cars, bringing her back to the present, as she remembered her position.

"Miss, Miss, come on. Would you please step away from the ledge, you don't have to do this!" came the voice of an officer projected through a megaphone from further behind her, where several cops had come up to the roof, sheltered under umbrellas of their own, as they tried to persuade her to come back to safety.

Sarah looked back up at the clouds, and sighed. They'd been trying to negotiate with her for about fifteen minutes now, but she was having none of it. They didn't understand; no one would understand...

Sarah straightened up, preparing for what she'd come here to do, when there was a slight patter of footsteps behind her, and the droning sound of the cops disappeared into the sound of rain falling: silence filling the rooftop.

Frowning slightly, and wondering what the disturbance was, she turned around.

There, standing but a few meters behind her, was Spider-Man, open in the rain, water drenching his suit. He just stood, unmoving, eye lenses unusually penetrating as they stared right back at her, water droplets crashing onto his form, unprevented.

For a moment, she just stared back at him, her attention taken as his sudden entrance consumed her thoughts.

All too soon the second passed though, and Sarah composed herself, putting on a sturdy face. "Well?" she said to Spidey's still form.

Spidey shifted slightly, and she saw him swallow, suit plastered to his skin moving with his throat, causing a wave of curiosity to flow through her, before he finally spoke.

"Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong," he simply said, the words coming out of his mouth striking her like a brick, causing her face to squish into a frown, and her lips to pull taut.

"Is that right?" she said, "and how would you know? How would you know what I'm thinking? You don't know anything," she finished, turning back around again.

"Would you like to bet on that?" Spidey asked in return.

Sarah whipped around. "I don't need to," she said venomously.

Spidey sighed. "Life gets horrible sometimes, but you carry on. We have to. There are so many good things out there despite the bad; you just have to focus on them. I know how you feel," he said sincerely.

"No!" Sarah stabbed, refusing to listen.

"You think your existence is pointless, life is pointless, that no one wants you, and you're a burden to everyone: a waste of time and space," he continued.

Eyebrows furrowing furiously, Sarah yelled back at him. "And how would you know that, huh? How would the famous menace Spider-Man know that?"

Spidey straightened his head back slightly and swallowed, "Because I've felt that way too. Still do sometimes actually, what with being a "menace" and all. And the amount of bad things I've seen and experienced as Spider-Man, no one should ever have to deal with. It's a burden I carry every day, but I must move on. If I didn't, I'd crash and burn, and then I wouldn't be able to help the people in need," he responded.

Sarah stopped, gaping.

Spidey continued, "You see yourself as a failure, don't you? A disgrace to the world, and that you're better off not to be in it? A mistake...but that's not true. None of it's true. 'Cause you're not any of those things, no one is," he said softly, shaking his head in expression slightly towards the end.

"But I am," she fumed, before turning around again, looking at the dizzying heights below her. "I'm not like you."

"You're precious. Why would I be here saving everyone if they weren't, if _you_ weren't? Life is such a valuable thing, and I can't bear to see it wasted," Spidey retorted.

"Why do you even bother, _Spidey_? It's not like they care, or want to be saved. They just shun you," she said with bitterness. "You're wasting your time trying to be the good guy, no one appreciates it," she continued.

Spidey gulped hard at the cruel attack of her words, and Sarah smirked slightly at the response.

"So, is that what you want to do, bring other people down just like they did you, so that you'll push me away, push help away, and then you can get on with what you were doing without the knowledge that I'll just catch you if you did?" Spidey asked. "Doing this will not change the evil; will not make things better, only worse. You'll be giving in to the ways of this world, giving in to the voices that say you're useless, or a bad person, instead of fighting it," Spidey addressed.

Sarah's face fell, and she yet again spun around, only this time she marched the small distance between her and the hero and slammed Spidey in the chest violently, causing him to stumble back, before slamming him in the chest again.

"Leave me alone," she growled at him, and then stormed back to the edge of the roof.

"You know that's something I can't do," Spidey's voice suddenly came from right behind her a few seconds later, and she swung her hand round in order to slap him, but he just leaned casually out of the way.

"Why are you doing this you freaky spider-ahh," she was cut off as Spidey grabbed her shoulders firmly, moving right up in her face with those eyes staring at her.

"Because I care, alright? I care! It would hurt me if you took your life, it would hurt me if someone just died because they thought they were unloved or let the weight of this world pull them down. You only get to live once, and then that's it, it's all you get. It's a gift you've received, not a curse, and there is still so much out there that you can enjoy and experience. Don't give it up, even if it's only for me," he exploded, puffing, and she heard the painful crack in his voice, the waver in his confidence.

Not being able to take it all anymore, tears started pouring down her cheeks, (despite the straight face she was trying to pull), and she broke.

She sobbed, crying and crying. Spidey gently pulled her in his arms, and she wrapped herself around the red and blue form, the only thing keeping her from going mentally over the edge.

Spidey breathed out heavily at her breakdown, and tucked his chin tighter over her shoulder, rubbing her back in light circles as her frame shook with sobs that racked her entire body. This was an all too familiar setting, as Spidey had witnessed this way too many times, but just like every other occasion, he just stayed there for the girl, as a rock for her to cling to as she let it all out, clinging onto his form for dear life.

It must have taken an entire hour for her to calm down, and by that point the rain had become even heavier as the downpour continued.

Finally, Spidey decided to break the silence, as he spoke.

"You okay?" he asked carefully.

Sarah sniffed, before pulling slowly away from him, rubbing her stuffy nose with her wrist. "Yeah," she replied, looking down at the concrete in embarrassment.

"Hey, it's all good, it's alright- you have every right to cry; crying's good," he said to her.

"I guess I've made a fool of myself now, haven't I?" she said miserably.

"No, no you didn't make a fool of yourself, it's perfectly normal to feel down sometimes, it happens to everyone at some point in their lives. Even to the best of us. You're gonna be fine, alright- alright you're gonna be ok, umm... would you like me to swing you home?" he asked, after briefly looking back at the cops, who were still huddled round under their umbrellas, where they had watched the entire embrace, uncertain of how to proceed.

Sarah looked over the edge of the building and took in the dizzying heights, quickly making up her mind. "Ah, no, I think I'll just go home with the police thanks," she said, shivering.

"Alright," he replied. "Bit wet anyway," he joked, and she looked at him, properly looked at him, and her heart sank. Water droplets were running down his lenses, causing them to fog up, making it impossible for him to see well, along with dripping down his chin. He was shivering slightly, and looked utterly miserable, slightly curled in on himself.

The most horrible wave of guilt washed over her at the realisation that he'd been standing there, in the rain, this whole time just to make sure she was alright.

She sobbed, and with a new determination, walked straight towards the police, moving passed them, causing her to receive many baffled looks.

"Hey, where are you going?" Spidey yelled, as he ran after her, bounding through the hatch and down the flights of steps. He was on her heel, like the idiot he was, flustering over her well being, making her feel even more guilty.

She didn't answer though, as she was on a mission, and marched out of the doors.

Quickly looking around, (and ignoring the surprised officers), she found what she wanted, and took off in that direction, her flustered red and blue shadow following her the whole way.

She walked into a store across the road, and went straight to a particular section, grabbing a few white, fluffy towels, and making her way to the cash register, Spidey bumbling along behind.

She quickly opened her wallet (ignoring the crowds of people baffled by the image of a sopping wet Spidey following her,) and paid for the towels, before spinning around and giving Spidey a look that made him start a bit in surprise.

"Alright, come here you big dumb hero," she said, mood totally changed, and threw a towel over his masked head, rubbing furiously to dry him off.

"No, I'm fine, no, stop, hey!" were among the protests Spidey gave, as she continued to dry him, no matter how stubborn he was.

"Look, you were stupid enough to help me, in the rain, so now I'm helping you. Deal with it," she said, and his whole form went limp under her furiously working hands in response.

"There," she said, as she finally finished most of his head and shoulders as best she could, and threw him the towel, before beginning to squeeze out her own hair.

She sighed, as she began to feel tired, the effects of the day catching up to her.

"Come on," Spidey suddenly said softly, tying the towel around his waist like one would a jumper, "we'd better get you back to the rather confused boys in blue out there." He pointed through the store windows with a thumb in their direction for emphasis. "And thanks, by the way, for the towel," he then mumbled, seeming to be almost embarrassed.

"What? The big tough Spider-Man can't take being dried off like a naughty kid that's been out in the rain?" she responded, seeming rather proud of herself.

"What, no, it's just, embarrassing is all," he said, his voice getting softer at the end.

Sarah smirked. "Embarrassing huh?" she said, and Spidey crossed his arms, looking away, suddenly appearing like a grumpy child.

"Well, I see. You don't like accepting help from others," she mocked.

Spidey cocked his head to the side, understanding her reference, before losing the grumpy look. Spotting something, he quickly grabbed it, before turning to the cashier, holding up an expandable red umbrella. "Can we get this?" he asked.

"Yeah sure, just take it. On the house," the man unexpectedly said.

"What, really?" Spidey responded.

"Yes really, and don't try and pay for it, you're both sopping wet as it is," he said, looking at them disapprovingly, before turning back to a new customer.

"Well," Spidey said, standing there.

"Red, good colour. Now come on," she said, as she took it from him and opened it up, before walking out of the store, Spidey following her close behind.

Crossing the road carefully, Spidey practically escorted her back to the police, before she exchanged a few words with them and hopped in a car.

"Thanks, Spidey, for helping me today, and I'm sorry for all those mean things I said to you. You're not so bad after all," she said to him, apologising.

"That's alright, apology accepted," Spidey said, nodding, now holding up the umbrella against the downpour, which went well with his red and blue suit.

An officer suddenly sat in the car, turning the engine on.

"Ok well, I should go home now and face the bells and whistles. It was nice meeting you," she said tiredly, and all too soon, the car pulled away, window sliding shut.

"Bye," Spidey said, more to himself, as he watched the car leave with the intriguing woman, before shaking his head and leaping up to a sheltered spot on a roof, where he continued to dry himself off, hoping he wouldn't end up with a cold the next morning.

* * *

 **Well, that's it :) Until the next one :)**


	11. Chicken Mayhem

**Hey everyone! Sorry about my absence, I nearly ran out of stories and had to come up with new materiel. But the good news is I have a whole heap more new ones for you :D So, are you ready for the next 10? :)**

 **You know that scene in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 where Peter's covered in feathers? Have you ever wondered how that happened? Well, here's my answer :) I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Amazing Spider-Man.**

* * *

It was an ordinary day in the town of New York City, (or, more the rather large ant-nest made of metal filled up with millions and millions of busy human workers), as they all went about their daily tasks running around the Island of Manhattan. Well, it was normal, all but for one thing that an upside down, odd looking, arguably strangely dressed figures' head was currently following backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, in a residential street.

Chickens. Lot and lots of chickens.

Now, this may be an ordinary occurrence for most small towns and farms, but for a city, not so much.

"John! Get those ones over that way before they escape. No that way!" a middle-aged woman yelled, who was wearing slightly run-down clothes with a splotch of mud on them here and there.

"I can't get them honey, they're too fast!" the man wearing a plain blue shirt and trousers who had slightly greying hair yelled back, and Spidey was a very lucky observer, for it was right at that moment, that the man slipped in a puddle on the ground, (that was slightly damp from the rain the night before), and fell flat on his face.

"Oh John! Look at you, useless as always, face first in the mud," the woman said to him with a mixture of disappointment, tiredness, and possible amusement, as she stood with her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Well it's not my fault you decided to buy a whole flock of chickens, in New York City. I don't even know if it's legal," he snapped back grumpily, while sitting back on his heels and wiping mud from his face, flicking it away in disgust.

The woman huffed, "I've told you, I hate the eggs here, they're so unfresh and-and tasteless. I prefer the old ones from back at the farm. Why ever did we move here John?" she gave as explanation. The entire street could hear their conversation, as their voices were so loud, they were practically sounding off to the heavens. It was hard to miss, even for those without Spidey's sensitive hearing.

"I told you Cass, it's because all the best jobs are here in NYC, and I got given a good offer, so that's why we moved. Seriously, how many times do we have to go over this?" John replied, starting to get frustrated. In the midst of their argument, the chickens were getting further and further up the street, currently having a field day in some poor folk's veggie patch to be accurate.

Spidey thought he'd seen enough, (hanging from his tree), and decided to move from his position, extending his wrist and shooting a web across the street. He'd just had an idea, if a rather excellent one (in his opinion).

John sighed dramatically, looking down the road. "Oh, look, how are we going to get them back now?" he whined, extending his hands up and then flopping them down with more force than necessary in the direction of the escapee chickens.

"Well it's your fault. You're the one who fell with your face in the mud," Cass complained, and John moaned, before walking back towards the chickens.

"Here chookie, chookie, chookie," he called. He got no response though, as one of them just looked at him with oblivious, unimpressed eyes, before carrying on eating with the rest of its pals, who were making small noises of conversation amongst themselves.

"Hiya! Need a hand?" a cheery voice unexpectedly offered from slightly above his head, and without thinking twice, John tilted his head back to come face to face with the wide looking, goggled lenses of none other than Spider-Man's mask. He was hanging upside down from a branch.

Spidey curiously tilted his head to the side.

John let out a big, deep sigh, as he looked straight ahead again, and said in the most exhausted, dead flat, annoyed tone - without shame, "Oh now look what you've done Cass, you've gone and got the attention of the local idiot who thinks he's a spider."

"... I beg your pardon sir, but I think you'll find that I _am_ a spider, and contrary to popular belief, am certainly _not_ an idiot," Spidey came back in chirpy annoyance, while slowly unwinding himself from his upside down position, until his feet finally touched the ground, and he was standing upright in front of John.

"Oh good, maybe he can catch them then, with all his spidery abilities, he can web them all up, so long as he doesn't eat them," Cass commented from further behind them.

"Oh look, see even she agrees with me," Spidey said, pointing a gloved thumb in her direction over his shoulder.

John sighed, giving up. "Oh whatever, knock yourself out. Just don't make too much of a fuss!" he said, looking tired and defeated, before beginning to walk off towards the woman, leaving Spidey standing there by himself on the sidewalk, with a bunch of rogue chickens wandering the street.

"Come on John, let's go get a cup of tea. This should be quite interesting," she said, taking his hand and dragging him off to their house.

"Don't worry sir, I'm Spidey, this'll be a piece of cake," Spidey yelled back at them, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Oh no," John said quietly to himself, shoulders slumping, as Cass lead him up the stairs to their front porch.

* * *

5 minutes later

"Hey! Hey get back here. No! Ughh," Spidey grumbled, as he landed stretched out on the dirty ground, having missed (yet again) the chickens he was chasing. "Whaaaattt? This is not fair," he moaned, "I mean, How are you even...? I'm Spider-Man for goodness sakes, how are you dodging my reflexes, let alone my web? This is...this is impossible!" he said, complaining, as he stood up again.

The chickens just settled down once more, continuing to eat the owner of the yard's garden, while giving him completely oblivious looks.

"How long do you think it'll take him to catch them?" said Cass from her position on the porch.

"No idea," replied John with a sigh, as he sipped his cup of tea.

"Ok, ok, this is ridiculous, even supervillains can't dodge me like that. You're not supervillains in disguise..., are you?" Spidey babbled, watching the chickens ripping up mulch. He sighed, "Oh enough moaning Spidey, you can do this, they're just a bunch of chickens, right?" he said. "Maybe if I use more of my spider side I can catch them. Yes, yes, I should use more of my instincts, that's a better idea."

He slowly crouched down low to the ground, and closed his eyes under the mask, focusing on his senses, before opening them again, ready for the attack. He started creeping closer to the huddle of happy birds every time they weren't looking, crawling along the ground in bursts of movement, like a cat stalking its prey. When he was only about a metre away, one of them looked right over at him, staring into his lenses, cocking its head all this way and that, Spidey also tilting his head to the side in response. He swore it was the same one that had looked at the man earlier.

Quickly shaking the thoughts from his mind, Spidey prepared himself, fingering the trigger on his web shooter, before leaping towards his prey.

The bird that had looked at him squawked, and then all the birds took off in a flutter of wings and feathers, avoiding his web trap by seconds, and causing Spidey to crash straight into the ground, feathers and web flying everywhere. But it wasn't over yet, as his spider-sense chimed, and before he could react, he slammed his head into a wooden fence pole just a little too hard, sticky web surrounding him.

"Ow!" Spidey squealed, as he coughed from the feathery dust.

"What's going on? Who's messing with my garden!" an angry voice suddenly yelled from inside the house, and a grumpy man wrenched open the door, peering out with a scowling face, only for it to soften into one of complete baffled confusion when he saw Spidey lying there, along with the state of his garden.

Reacting quickly, Spidey stood up, removing bits of web and feathers from himself. "Uh, sorry sir," he said, swaying slightly and obviously dazed. "I swear those chickens are trying to kill me," he said, and pointed vaguely in the direction of the now once-again-happy flock.

The man's eyes widened when he saw the mass of chickens, before turning back with confusion again as Spidey started to walk towards them and momentarily lost his balance. He nearly toppled over, before slowly getting up again, and continued to trudge in the direction of his newest worst enemies.

* * *

Several hours and a lot of confused neighbours later, Spidey finally marched round to the chicken's pen with the last one in his hands, wrapped up in a nice little cocoon, so it couldn't escape.

Placing it in with the others, he shut the door, looking at the mass of safely cocooned up chickens with pride. It would take an hour for the web to dissolve, but at least it meant none would be trying any tricks for a while.

He sighed, leaning against the wall of the house with exhaustion. He was covered in white feathers, all sticking to his form thanks to the web he'd gotten mixed up everywhere.

He now thoroughly felt like a fool, and rather looked like one too, as he officially classed chickens at the very top of his list of enemies.

"Thank you so much Spider-Man! I don't know what we would have done without you!" Cass said sweetly, as she watched him with pride.

"Yeah, thanks, any time," Spidey puffed.

"Would you like a biscuit?" John said, holding out a packet from where he still sat in his seat on the porch, when Spidey began to walk round the front.

"Ah, no thanks, but I appreciate the offer," he said, he was too tired to do anything more now, he just wanted more than anything to go home and collapse on his bed...and get rid of all the feathers smothering him: he swore he had some under his suit.

"Oh alright then, well, you have a nice day and stop some bad guys for me," John replied, holding his drink up in the air momentarily at him.

"Right," Spidey replied, too busy staring at all the unwanted attention he'd gathered in the form of neighbours standing outside watching him attentively from their porches.

"It was nice to meet you Spidey!" Cass farewelled, and he weakly waved his hand at them, before swinging away back home, aching for his soft bed to rest his sore muscles.

* * *

 **I hope you** **liked this silly little story I wrote, and found it amusing :) Now, don't forget to review, and I'll hopefully see you next week :) Bye! :)  
**


	12. A Special Birthday Gift

**Hello, thanks a million for all the happy reviews! I wouldn't be able to do this without them, they are really encouraging :) And, it means all the more stories for you :P**

 **I hope you enjoy this sweet little one I wrote and that it makes you smile :) And I hope to hear from you when you've finished reading it :) Even if it's just a few words. I'll still appreciate it :) And this idea was requested by dwillett1 :)  
**

 **Now, on to the story! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Spider-Man**

* * *

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Laura! Happy birthday to you!"

"Now, make a wish and blow out the candles, sweetie," a nice young woman with brown hair and a wide smile said to her now five year old daughter as the chorus of happy song finished.

"I wish for a stuffed toy of my favourite spider, and for us to be a happy family!" she said enthusiastically in her little voice, while grinning excitedly, before she took an overly large breath, and blew out the five flickering birthday candles, leaving trails of puffy smoke to blow away in the breeze.

"Yayyy!" the group of people surrounding her cheered as she did so.

"Good job!" her mum encouraged. "Now, why don't you go open up your presents while I cut the cake?" she suggested. The girl nodded and eagerly jumped down off her chair and ran over to the small pile of colourfully wrapped presents sitting on a thin blanket on the floor of the balcony.

It didn't take long for her happy screech to reach the ears of her guests, as a few minutes and a lot of ripped wrapping paper later, she uncovered the stuffed Spider-Man toy her mum had bought her.

"Eeeeeeeee!" she exclaimed as she cuddled the toy tight, its white eyes staring up at her. "Thank you mummy!" she yelled as she ran to her mum with the toy in hand and gave her a big hug around the waist as she was handing out slices of decorated chocolate cake.

"No problem sweetie. Just be careful near the railing!" she said, as Laura ran off to sit next to the edge of the balcony with a number of her new toys, the Spider-Man one obviously being the favourite as she kept it tucked safely under her arm.

"Here darling, an extra large slice for the birthday girl!" a man being her father said, as he came over a minute later to hand her a plate with a big helping of cake on it, along with a cup of juice.

"Thanks daddy," she said, as she reached out to take it. But in doing so she forgot about the toy tucked under her arm, and it slipped out, falling through the small gap in the railing.

"Noooooooooooo!" she screamed in despair as she saw her favourite toy go plummeting towards the earth, unable to reach it in time.

It never hit the ground though, as out of nowhere there was a rush of wind and a blur of red and blue as a figure swooped over and flipped dramatically in mid air, snatching the toy mid-descent and disappearing round the corner.

The silence was pin-drop worthy on the deck for but a second, before the figure flew back around and landed crouched on the railing, holding the lost stuffed toy in its hand.

The family was shocked to find a large living, breathing, red and blue version of the toy, exact in likeness, sitting right in front of Laura, large eyes looking right into her face.

"Drop something?" he spoke, placing the replica of himself in her hands.

Laura took the toy absentmindedly, her eyes never leaving the being in front of her, before she all but threw herself at him, crashing herself into Spidey's form in a strangling bear hug.

"Spidey!" she yelled, in absolute joy, squeezing him tighter just like she'd been doing to the toy but moments before.

Spidey made an 'oopf' noise in surprise, balancing himself on the railing when the extra weight rammed into him, before carefully winding his arms around the girl in response, lowering his chin over her head.

"Well, hello there to you too," he said warmly, with a kind giggle.

The girl pulled back and grinned at him with possibly the widest smile he'd ever seen, eyes shining.

"You came to my birthday party!" she utterly beamed, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Oh, well, this spider could never miss such a wonderful little girl's birthday, especially not a fan such as you. How old are you?" he asked, playing along as he didn't want to disappoint the girl by saying he wasn't there on purpose.

The girl squeaked. "Five!" she said, holding up all five fingers on her hand to show him.

"Wow, you're a big girl!" he replied encouragingly, looking at her fingers on show before ruffling her golden blond hair with a gloved hand.

"Yes!" she giggled, looking up at him with the most adorable grin. She then grabbed his hand before he could pull it away. "Come on! I want to show you my presents," she said, as she dragged him off the railing and along to her pile.

"Wow, you got some nice gifts. You're very spoiled," he commented, crouching down next to her. There were a lot of new artist's supplies sitting on the rug, along with a few other toys. "Do you like to paint?" he asked curiously.

"Yes! I love drawing! And I have a picture of you too!" she announced, before suddenly running off excitedly within the apartment.

Spidey just sat there for a second amongst awkward silence, before the girl re-emerged through the glass door.

"Here, you can have it," she said, holding out a very sweet and surprisingly good drawing of him.

"Ooo, thanks. You're very good," he said, taking the picture and examining the precious work.

The girl blushed. "Thanks," she said, suddenly becoming shy.

"Well, I really appreciate it," Spidey said, carefully rolling up the picture in one hand to later put safely in his backpack, before giving her another hug. "Well, I've got to go now, need to continue my hero work and protect the city, but it was very nice meeting you...?"

"Laura," she answered.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Laura," he said.

"But do you have to go?" Laura quickly said before he could swing away, a slightly disappointed whine to her voice that sounded very out of place coming from such a sweet, happy girl.

Spidey suddenly felt bad, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Yes, I'm afraid I do, but I'm sure you can continue to have a great party without me," he said.

The girl seemed to perk up a little at this, despite her sadness. "At least have some cake before you go," she said, practically begging.

Spidey sighed. "Oh alright," he said, with slight amusement in his voice.

The girl beamed again and ran back over to where her abandoned cake sat - Spidey following behind and hopping back up on the railing.

She quickly used her fingers to break off a piece of her cake, and held it up in front of his face.

"Here you go Spidey," she said, "Don't worry, I washed my hands earlier, like mummy said," she added, sensing his uncertainty.

Spidey giggled at her sweetness and pulled up the bottom of his mask slightly, before leaning forward and taking the piece of cake in his mouth right off her fingers.

Laura giggled obsessively with joy at the feel of his tongue, making her look even cuter, before Spidey leaned back and began to chew, before swallowing quickly.

"Thanks. Chocolate; yummy," he said, licking his lips with a smile, before pulling his mask back down. "Well, I gotta go now. Have a great afternoon," he said, giving her one more final hug, before standing and leaping acrobatically off the railing, swinging away, doing several fancy flips in the process.

Laura watched him go, smiling, before her mother spoke up in the background. "I baked that cake..." was all she said.

* * *

 **Hehe :)**

 **Thanks for reading! I'll look forward to uploading the next one :) Till then, have a nice week :)**


	13. Long Walk Home

**New story! I hope you enjoy, and thanks for all the reviews! :) As always, they are lovely :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man.**

* * *

"Eurrggggg," Spidey groaned, as he stood on the sidewalk, bent over with an arm protectively curled around his middle in pain. He felt miserable; everything hurt: aches and pains consuming his entire body.

The Shocker turned up, trying to rob a store filled with valuables, (cause of course), and somewhere in the process of trying to stop him, he'd decided to turn your friendly neighbourhood spider into spider steak. Though he didn't succeed - and Spidey ended up tying him to another lamp post - he still got in a few good shots with his nasty sonic gauntlets, throwing Spidey around like a poor ragdoll, slamming him into many hard things in the process - things that would leave bruises in the morning.

With a moan, Spidey lifted his wrist up towards a nearby roof, and pressed his forefingers down on his palm. "Thffftt," was the only sound that came from it though, and Spidey looked down at his wrists in confusion. Empty. His web shooters had run out of fluid from just after he'd tied up the Shocker, rendering them useless.

Spidey sighed, letting his hands drop limply to his side, one curling back around his belly. No web shooters and a body too injured to leap across roofs; there was only one way for him to get home.

Breathing in another deep sigh, he tentatively moved one foot forward, his limp obvious as he took one tiny, small step. It was not ideal, as he would stand out from a mile away walking through the streets with his tattered red and blue suit, but with his backpack out of reach near to his home, he had no other option.

Carefully, Spidey bit back the pain as he began slowly limping down the street.

It wasn't long before he was noticed, as the minute he turned the corner onto a busier road all eyes were on his sad form. Nobody said anything though, as Spidey just ignored the silent, concerned attention, as he focused on taking the next step forward, making his way just that little bit further towards home, and to safety.

His arm reached out to the side of buildings occasionally, ghosting over the walls for support, grunts escaping him with each step as his leg throbbed with pain. He was a pitying sight to behold.

Spidey continued this way, ignoring the comments New Yorkers made to him as he stumbled past, until a small, grey car came up next to him, slowing down to a crawl. The window slid back, revealing the face of a pale skinned, brunet young woman, who was looking at him with concerned blue eyes.

"Spider-Man?" she asked, slightly cautiously, as she eyed his beaten and bruised form.

Spidey ignored her, just continuing to limp forward.

Slowly, the woman continued to drive the car alongside him.

"Spider-Man?" she said again, firmer this time. "Hey, you look like you need a lift," she continued, trying to gain the injured web-slingers attention.

Spidey turned his head to the side slightly, before continuing on. "No thanks," he said simply.

"Come on, you're hurt, you could use the help," she stated, but when he didn't reply she tried again. "Look, the seats are soft and I have air con: plus, I won't bother you," she coaxed.

Spidey huffed a breath as he tried to move away from her.

"Spidey! I'm not here to hurt you, ok? Just point in a direction and I'll drive, no questions asked," she said, in a sure and strong tone.

"Really, I'm fine," Spidey replied.

The woman sighed. "You're fine? Tell me, do you really plan on walking all the way to wherever you're going like that?" she deadpanned. "There's no way you can make it in your current condition. Come on, get in," she finished, motioning her head to the back door.

Spidey paused, seeming to consider her words, before finally turning to look at her. The woman kept her ground as his masked eyes stared right in her face, before he gazed away again.

For a second, she thought he wasn't going to accept her offer, his body language tense and rigid, but then he turned. Suddenly, his form slouched, as he saw no threat in the woman's kind eyes, and moved towards the back seat.

Opening the door, he hissed slightly as he manoeuvred into the seat, before sitting down. Instantly, he sank into the material, finding that it was indeed, soft. A sigh made its way past his lips and he pulled the door shut, leaning his head against the tinted window, and resting.

They sat there like that, engine gently running, as Spidey relaxed in the comfort of her car, no one saying a word. For a moment, it felt like the silence would never end, before a single, almost whispered word emerged from Spidey's form.

"Queens," he said, voice slightly tired. The woman had to strain to hear the word, but the minute she did, she pulled the car into gear, and stepped on the accelerator in the direction of Queens.

The drive was slow, as the road was thick and overloaded with traffic, with the odd glance in the mirror being thrown carefully in Spidey's direction every now and then. Not long after they started moving, Spidey had fallen asleep, his body too tired and exhausted from the battle, dozing off with his head still resting against the window. Still, the woman didn't say anything, as she carefully drove through the city towards his requested destination.

When they finally arrived, she slowly pulled the car over to a more secluded street, pulling on the hand brake and switching off the engine. Getting out, she quietly moved around to the back door, and carefully opened it up, placing a hand on Spidey's chest so he wouldn't fall out, and pushing him further back into the seat.

"Spidey," she whispered quietly, giving him a nudge. "Hey Spidey, we're here," she added, shaking him lightly. Blearily, Spidey began to stir, shifting in his seat. "Hey, come on, it's time to wake up," she coaxed, stroking his masked face.

Spidey groaned, before focusing his vision, and finally looking up at her.

"Hello, we're here. Queens, just like you asked," she informed. Spidey merely looked at her for a second, before silently starting to sit up, pushing himself round to the side of the seat, legs hanging over the edge. He moaned again, before moving to stand up, the woman taking a few steps back as he did so.

He just stood there for a while, getting his bearings, before letting out a deep sigh and kneading his shoulder slightly. The woman shut the door behind him as he moved out of the way.

"Thanks," Spidey said, turning to face her, heavy sincerity in his tone.

"No problem, anything for our friendly neighbourhood hero," she said, with a small smile.

Spidey stared into her face for a moment, before nodding and looking down, one arm clutching around his ribs again.

"Ahhh so...," he let out a huff. "I guess I'd better go now," he said, slightly awkwardly.

"Yes," the woman agreed, before a thought suddenly came to her. "Oh," she proclaimed, as she started shifting through her pockets. "Here," she said, as she held up a small business card. "If you ever should need any help, feel free to call me any time, and I'll do everything I can," she offered, as she took his limp, gloved hand, and pressed the card into it.

Spidey looked down at the card in his hand in shock for a second, before looking back up at the woman, and giving her a nod. Then, as quick as lightning, he ran as best he could towards a nearby wall, and leapt up onto the fire escape, quickly disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

Several minutes later, a limping, bruised and sore teenager dressed in casual black jeans and a dark hoodie, walked down the sidewalk. No one gave him a second glance in his normal street clothes, as he made the few blocks to his home. Safe.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading :) And don't forget to leave a review :D**


	14. Tree Climbing Shenanigans

**Hello everyone, I hope you're all well :) I've been camping, but now I'm back with a new story for you :D Read, follow, favorite and don't forget to leave your thoughts in a review! And I'd like to say a big gigantic thank-you to ItTicklesLikeCrazy, Tamuril2, and everyone else who reviewed :) Now I shall go back to working on creating the next one :P Enjoy :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man**

* * *

"Help! Help!" Locklyn yelped as he clung onto the relatively thin tree branch for dear life, brown bark crumbling slightly under his grip as he tried to even out his shaky breaths.

"Honey it's alright, just hold on, help is on the way," his mother yelled up at her frightened son, before turning quickly to her husband standing next to her – who had his mouth hanging open in a look of disbelief at how high his boy had climbed - quietly ordering him to act. "George quick, call 911!" she half whispered/yelled at him.

He quickly snapped out of his look of shock, answering his frantic wife. "Yes! Yes!" he bumbled, as he ran back into the house to get the phone, door slamming shut behind him.

"Mum?" Locklyn quickly asked in a warning tone as he wasn't sure how much longer he could hang on, or whether or not he'd simply lose his grip from shaking so much. He gulped.

"Yes honey, just hold on. Don't move! We'll get you down before you know it!" she said, with false cheerful encouragement, as she tried to mask her panic.

"Ugh huh," Locklyn squeaked out in return, nodding his head.

George suddenly appeared out of the house again, talking on a wireless phone. "Yes...yes it's really tall. No, no I don't know how he got up there. Yes we'll need the fire brigade!" he was mumbling on in a frazzle.

Locklyn sighed. His father was only just calling for help. It looked like he was going to be here for a while. He quickly took in a few slow breaths to try and pull himself together - if that - against the frantic screaming going on in his head.

He wasn't up there much longer before he felt a sudden shake in the tree, as if something reasonably large had just landed in it. Locklyn's eyes widened.

"Mum, mum what's going on? There's something in the tree!" he helped, trying to regain his parents' immediate attention from where he had remained surprisingly quiet for the last few minutes.

"Aww now, looks like I've got myself a fellow acrobatic, tree climbing friend. What are you doing my young aspiring spider?" an all-too-familiar voice came from somewhere in the tree behind him, and Locklyn's breathe caught in his throat as sudden shock and possible excitement filled his veins - taking over his being. He'd heard that charismatic sound all too much as he'd spent hours watching the vigilante online, admiring his incredible heroic feats and spectacular fighting movements. He'd be lying to say the arachnid wasn't his role model.

He stayed still as he felt the branch vibrate some more and the sound of leaves rustling filled his ears, before his favourite hero's big, wide reflective lenses appeared next to him - in the flesh. Spidey sat on the branch alongside Locklyn's own current stretched out, clinging position, perched in his famous crouch.

Locklyn offered him a slightly shy, toothy grin. "Ah, hi?" he said, embarrassed.

"Well, you've certainly gotten yourself into a pickle, haven't you?" Spidey said, curiously looking over his situation with his large eyes. "Ah! I see," he then suddenly exclaimed, as he caught sight of the elusive Frisbee lying innocently on the roof. "Well, you almost made it, a couple more inches and you just might have reached it. I congratulate you for your _gigantean_ effort," he quipped teasingly.

"Ha ha very funny: but could you please get me down? No matter how comfortable this looks to you, I'm actually finding it very _uncomfortable_ , and my arms are beginning to ache," he retorted.

Spidey giggled, "Yep, sure thing, Spidey express to the rescue!" he joked, and began to carefully stretch over to Locklyn's branch, clinging to it with his sticky fingers. Locklyn became worried for a moment and thought it would break from the extra weight, but was surprised when Spidey turned out to be unexpectedly light and agile, balancing himself on the wood perfectly. He grumbled at his own helplessness.

A high pitched scream suddenly pierced the air, making them both flinch, and Locklyn peaked over to see his mother had finally answered his earlier call.

"What, what?-"

"It's alright mum; it's just Spidey, he's harmless," Locklyn cut in over her as she pointed to Spider-Man's form with a shaky finger.

"Harmless? Harmless! Have you seen what that thing does?! Locklyn get it away from you!" she screeched hysterically.

"No mum it's alright, he's helping me. Don't worry," he reassured.

His mother huffed, looking like she was ready to burst, but staying quiet all the same, bringing a worried hand up to her mouth instead, barely holding it together.

"Phew, well, why don't you hop on my back and we get you down, agreed?... Before your poor mother decides she still hates me as much as she did a second ago," Spidey rambled. He then moved his hands from the branch and placed them on either side of his back, carefully picking him up.

Locklyn yelped in alarm at being moved at such a great height, before he let go of the tree and was lifted up round towards Spidey's back, which he quickly decided to cling onto, winding himself around the arachnid with eyes blown wide.

"You right there?" Spidey asked after a second, face turned back towards him slightly.

"Yeah," Locklyn replied, settling down a little.

"Goodie then!" Spidey exclaimed, before he quickly reached over and grabbed the Frisbee, handed it back to Locklyn, and began to climb down the very tall tree on all fours with the teenager on his back - clinging to its many branches and leaping slightly a couple of times to get to the lower ones, causing Locklyn to hold on tighter.

Finally, after just a few seconds, Spidey slipped carefully down the base of the tree, before his feet landed gracefully on the ground.

"Ugh, there you go," Spidey said, as he carefully placed Locklyn down, where he stood on wobbly legs. Spidey ruffled his hair, making him more embarrassed, as he quickly began to fix it up while giving the annoying spider a look.

"Awww, you don't like the hair ruffle? I get the hair ruffle a lotttttt," the hero said, almost whiney, and Locklyn couldn't help but look at his rescuer, who was just as strange in person as on the TV. He smiled, before he was nearly knocked clean over by his mother engulfing him in a hug.

"Don't ever do that again! You hear me? You could've gotten yourself killed!" she exploded, squishing him.

"He's down? Oh thank goodness!" said his dad as he rushed out of the house at the kafuffle, where he quickly caught sight of Spidey and smiled. "Oh look if it isn't Spider-Man! Wonderful! Thanks so much for your assistance. I'm sure you made my son very relieved; he thinks a lot of you," he praised, practically towering over the tiny vigilante as he came over to join the happy reunion, grabbing his hand in an overly-enthusiastic hand shake.

"Oh, no George! You should get rid of him! I won't have creepy illegal vigilantes running around here, it's dangerous! You're letting our son be badly influenced by these things-"

"No mum, Spidey's my friend; he's a good guy and I'm not letting you chase him away," Locklyn suddenly perked up as he grabbed the vigilante in a friendly, side-on hug.

"Honey, how could you possibly not like him? He just got our son down out of the tree like you wanted. Isn't that a good thing?" the father said, giving Spidey a slightly creepy, large grin.

She just gave Spider-Man a disgusted look, obviously in great distaste.

George frowned, before Spidey's spider-sense tingled just slightly in his head, and he was literally scooped off the ground.

Spidey let out an incredibly alarmed, high pitched squeal, before he was placed on the big man's shoulders where he scrambled into a crouch, startled and confused and barely managing not to fall off.

"Look darl, see? He's harmless," George beamed proudly.

The woman just gaped at him. Spidey couldn't blame her.

George's face fell and his shoulders slumped, causing Spidey to lose focus and tumble off, where he crashed onto Locklyn who had made a futile attempt to catch him.

"Awrrr. Ok, that's new," Spidey said as he sat up, rubbing his head - wondering if he was really thinking straight.

"Sorry about him," Locklyn said, voice oozing with extreme embarrassment. "He gets a bit overexcited when it comes to superheroes," he added.

"I see," Spidey drew out, and before he knew it his arm was being tugged at- as he was pulled to his feet. Spidey quickly dusted himself off, smoothing out his costume.

"Umm, could you, uhh, maybe, erm, sign something for me?" Locklyn asked, suddenly becoming shy again.

Spidey looked at him uncomfortably, but saw the eager glint in his eye, and smiled under the mask.

"Yeah, why not? What would you like me to sign?" he said, the parents now forgotten in the background as they argued about their opinions of him.

"Oh, well I have this poster of you in my bedroom, and-"

"I'd be happy to sign it," Spidey cut in as he answered the question before the boy could go on anymore.

"Really? Wow cool!" he said excitedly, before running back into the house, the door making another slamming noise behind him. Spidey barely had to wait any time at all before he was running back again, holding up a reasonably large poster.

"Here," he said, as he handed it to him, revealing a black marker pen in his other hand.

Spidey observed the picture as being one he himself had taken a while ago, back when he first started out. It was actually a photo he felt rather proud of.

"Nice choice," he complimented, before popping the lid off the pen. He smoothed the poster out, before finding a spot in the bottom corner, where he began to write his alter-ego's name in large, handwritten cursive.

"OH MY GOSH! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! Oh wow. I really appreciate it; thanks Spidey," the boy exploded, practically bouncing with joy.

"No problem," Spidey replied happily, holding the pen out to him, feeling good that he was able to make him this happy.

Locklyn gave him a quick hug around the neck, before carefully taking the poster and admiring the signature, still thanking him over and over again.

Spidey chuckled. Suddenly, his spider-sense buzzed in his head and he tensed up, quickly snapping his head round to look in the direction behind them, where the faint sound of sirens could be heard.

"Sorry, I've got to go now, people need my help. I hope you like the signature, and keep yourself safe, ok?" he said, and then he was gone, using the same tree he'd rescued Locklyn from to bound up and swing down the road, off to the next person in need.

Locklyn smiled at the arachnid, before turning back and walking towards his still-debating parents.

"Dad! Look, he signed this for me," he said, holding out the poster for him to see.

"What!? He's gone already? Where'd he go?"

And hence the conversation went on, while Spidey moved through the streets towards the trouble with a warm and happy heart.

* * *

 **As always I hope you enjoyed :) And do any of you like cinematic music? If so I just thought I'd share with you these awesome artists who I've just found who compose epic orchestral/instrumental music! Audiomachine and Two Steps From Hell. If you haven't heard of them you should check them out :) It's perfect writing music :) I've had stories practically bursting onto the page since I started listening to them :P Very inspiring :)**

 **Ok, that's it from me. Cya later :)**


	15. Masked Hero

**Heyoo! :) I hope you're looking forward to a new story haha. This one was requested by TheHauntedKeyboard, as well as being suggested by AITRain and LuvFiction Xxxx. So, here you go guys :) It's a little different from the others and has a slight POV change (well at least I think it does), but I hope you still like it :) I'd also like to once again thank ItTicklesLikeCrazy and everyone else who's reviewed. I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

 **Now READ and ENJOY :D**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man**

* * *

 _'Ok, this was a bad idea,'_ thought Peter, as he stood dressed in his Spider-Man suit in a crowded mass of civilians. The only thing was, he wasn't there as Spider-Man, as he was surrounded by at least a hundred other Spider-Men, (or girls), who in this case, all happened to be people trying to win the prize for the best Spider-Man Halloween costume, just the same as him. It was really quite an event.

It had seemed like such a good idea at first, genius in fact, when he saw the advertisement for the event displaying the costume competition placed around the city. He thought it would be a fun way to earn some much-needed cash from the prize money. But now, he felt nothing but awkward humiliation, because he was surrounded by other Spider-Men, who all had better costumes than his own.

' _This is ridiculous. I am Spider-Man, the real deal, and yet their costumes, all trying to look like me, are better than me! So not fair,'_ he mentally grumbled to himself, as he stood with his shoulders slumped and arms curled around his middle, feeling very much second rate. ' _I mean, what about that guy? His costume's way cooler than mine! And I bet he has lots of money to pay for it too, and yet, he's still talking with his friends highly of me, still feeling he's not living up to me or my costume! If only he knew,'_ he rambled on in his head, staring miserably at a much taller, more muscley guy -praising and fanboying over Spidey to his friends. He was wearing a costume that in both richness of colour, and quality, far outmatched his own, and Peter always thought his own was awesome. Now, he didn't think so as much.

"Hey man, you alright?" Peter practically jumped out of his skin, but contained himself as he cautiously looked around, to see a friendly looking, dark-skinned teen standing behind him, also in a Spidey costume, minus the mask. "You look a bit down in the dumps," he continued.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," Peter replied, rubbing his arms slightly, feeling oddly skinny and awkward amongst all these people.

"Aha, you cold? I don't know how the guy keeps warm in these things, especially swinging around up so high; must be freezing," the boy smiled.

"Umm, no-no I'm not cold," Peter mumbled.

The guy looked at him for a minute before extending his gloved hand, "Well, I'm Matt."

Peter looked at it for a second, before responding. "Nice to meet you, Matt," he said, shaking his hand.

"Would you like a nibble?" Matt then asked him, holding out a small silver tray Peter hadn't noticed he had in his other hand. It was covered in small pieces of food shaped like flies. "I made them myself, for the occasion," he added, smiling.

Peter didn't hesitate, as he reached over and grabbed one. "Yeah sure," he said, and rolled up his mask, leaning his head back and shoving one in his mouth. Matt's eyes widened in surprise, before his face softened into a smile as he watched Peter eat his creation.

"Wow, you're the first person who's been willing to eat one of those without even second guessing," he said, grinning. Peter was too busy enjoying his tit-bit, though, and found himself quickly eying the tray again.

"Can I have another one of those?" he asked, hesitantly beginning to reach out.

"Umm, yeah sure, I guess. Help yourself," Matt said, slightly baffled, and Peter quickly shoved another one in his mouth.

"It's so nice isn't it?" Matt asked after a minute with a slight sigh as he looked around the chatting crowd, making conversation. "So many people together, all celebrating a hero: truly honouring his work. I love it! It's such a wonderful thing to do, don't you think?" he continued talking, looking far off in his thoughts.

Peter just briefly looked up at him from licking his gloved fingers. "Mmm," he answered, not properly listening, before hesitantly nipping yet another treat from the tray.

"I'd like to think it would make him feel proud, seeing people dressing up as him, wishing they could be heroes and make a difference to this world. He makes such a good example, and that's always helped me through tough times in my life, you know? One day, I'd really like to meet him, and...what are you doing?"

Peter paused in his place with his hand halfway towards the tray, looking up at him as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"How many of those have you had? Jeeze dude, you don't wanna know what's in those, I don't even know if I wanna know, and I made them. I don't have a clue why you like those things," he rambled.

Peter pulled back and suddenly looked incredibly awkward, clearing his throat. "Sorry," he mumbled, pulling his mask back down.

"Nah, no sweat dude, no one else was gonna eat them anyway, I just don't get how you can stand the taste," he said, appearing heavily disappointed with his own creations. "I bet even Spidey himself wouldn't eat these," he moaned, giving them a sad look. Peter suddenly looked at him, attention finally fully gained as he said this, and he trailed his gaze over the boy for the first time, seeing his sad and troubled face . It was as if he'd been through a lot, and his eyes, which held true loss, somewhat reminded him of his own. He then looked down at the boy's costume.

"Hey! How did you do that?" he suddenly yelped, moving forward and grabbing his arm, examining the suit.

"That? Oh, it's just a little idea I had. Thought Spidey would like it if he ever were to see it," he said, with humbled embarrassment, as Peter excitedly looked at his costume. "But, unfortunately, that's never gonna happen," he then added, sounding suddenly down and depressed, "as in, who's lucky enough to ever meet Spider-Man? I think the people who are rescued are so blessed to meet him in person, but, it's just such an impossible thing."

"This is so cool! Why didn't I think of that? Arrggg," Peter babbled excitedly, before throwing his head back in a frustrated moan. "That is awesome man," he praised. The suit had webbed gliders stretched under the arms and down his sides, while the spider on the front of the suit glowed green in the dark along with them, and the blue parts of the costume had a shimmery, deep purple tinge.

Matt laughed nervously at the over enthusiastic attention, "Well, thanks. And, the eyes glow too, and the colour can change from green to a light blue," he said, and pressed something on the side of one lens, causing them both to glow green. "I had the idea that they could be cool night vision, but of course, these don't actually have that in them, but anyway," he explained. "They're not the right shape, though, whereas yours are perfect!" he then quickly said, before he moved forward to look into Peter's eyes. "You got that big, wide friendly look Spidey gets, and that glossy reflectiveness that leaves you fascinated and wondering what's underneath. It's spot on! And I love the bug shape, almost teardrop like." He brushed the black outline of them where they met the suit. "How did you make them man? I think you're the only person here who got those spot on!"

Peter felt slightly awkward over the fanboying he just witnessed over his eye lenses, and shifted slightly on his feet while looking down, "Oh well, I made them myself," he mumbled.

Matt pulled a gasping face, "What, you did? Whoa that's cool," he yelled.

"Well, you made your suit too, and it's more awesome than mine," Peter pulled up the courage to say, head shifting slightly in sharp little movements of embarrassment.

"Nah man, you've got the classic, and nothing beats the good old original look," Matt encouraged, with a quick hand on his shoulder, smiling at him.

"Hmm, thanks," Peter replied, only just managing to accept the compliment through his own self- doubt, before looking up at him, a long awaited question burning at his mind. "Ah umm, could I ha-have the designs for your suit, please? I-I think it's-it's really cool you see," he managed to get out.

Matt stared at him. "You want the designs for my suit?" he said, appearing to be thinking. "Ah...well, I guess so, but it's only a little something I made, nothing special. You got something to write it down on?" he asked.

Peter looked down at himself, "Ah, no man, sorry-"

"No pockets, yeah? Haha, shoulda known - the little guy's always having trouble with that. Here, don't worry, I have a pen and paper in my bag," Matt cut him off, before moving over to a nearby bench where a black bag was sat, from which he quickly produced a small notepad and biro. Then, (without being asked), he began to freely scribble down his designs.

After about five minutes, he was done, and handed the finished work out to Peter, who'd been watching, slightly shyly but attentively, the whole time. "Here you go man, all the designs are on there. It's not too hard to make, and I put a few directions on there to make it easier, so you should be able to create your own quite fine," he said, with more kindness than one would expect, treating Peter like he was his good friend.

"T-thanks," Peter said, as he looked over the designs, both shock and excitement running through him, causing his hands to tremor slightly at the thought that this boy had just freely given him his designs. Him! If he ever should wear them, he would do so with honour. "I'm sure I'll have no trouble making it," he said with confidence, looking up at him with a sudden surety.

Matt smiled, "I'm sure you won't," he said, before moving to sit down on the bench. He let out a big sigh, before patting the spot next to him - inviting him to join. "You want a seat?" he asked, and Peter smiled beneath the mask, before planting himself down beside the teen.

* * *

The duo sat there for quite some time as the event went on, chatting about inane subjects as they waited for the winners to be announced. They joked and laughed, Peter finding himself slipping out a bit of Spidey humour at times, which was usually kept for people he was most comfortable with when he wasn't out and about fighting crime and rescuing all forms of damsels in distress, (male and female alike), when he was on patrol. His company didn't seem to notice, though, as he just thought Peter was a big Spidey fan like himself, and was amused and entertained at how much he could imitate the voice and personality of the real thing, finding it quite enjoyable. He really had no idea.

Matt actually seemed to like Peter a lot. The longer they talked, the less his eyes looked full of pain and sorrow and the more they began to sparkle and glow with happiness, like a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He laughed belly deep along with the vigilante in disguise, practically rolling around on the bench as his eyes watered.

All too soon the fun was over though, as it was time to announce the winners. Almost sadly they both straightened themselves up, before paying attention to the announcer who'd just walked onto a small stage with golden yellow lights shining over it and a black microphone stand at the front. Behind him, a large banner spanned across the stage backdrop with various pictures of Spider-man in different mid-air poses that had been taken during some of the many times Peter was swinging around the city. They were some special photos he'd snapped with a remote control camera he'd had hovering around in the air as he swung. It was the best idea he'd had yet when it came to shooting pictures of himself as his spider-like alter ego.

"Ugh, I wonder who's going to win? There's a lot of prize money there," Matt whispered to him excitedly. Peter just licked his lips, which felt odd against the mask, nodding his head slightly and becoming suddenly tense. He really did need that money...

"Ladies and gentleman," the announcer addressed, "it is really nice to have you all out here tonight, with so many spectacular costumes about, but, unfortunately, we must announce a winner." He said boldly, "Now, the judges have counted their votes, and made a decision. Drum roll please!" The sound of drums played through the speaker as he checked his notes. "And the winner is!" he extended his hand out to an area of the audience, "the wonderful young man down the side here." And with that, everyone cheered and the crowd parted to reveal a costumed man the announcer was pointing to. Without wasting a second, he casually strolled up to the stage to take his place at the centre.

Peter couldn't help but clap half-heartedly, while Matt was practically jumping up and down with enthusiasm.

"Wow, look at his costume! It's damn amazing!" he yelled.

The said "Spider-Man" bowed on stage and waved at everyone, giggling slightly. "Hello everyone, just your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man here, thank-you so very much," he said, voice oozing with proud over-confidence, and Peter couldn't help but growl under his breath.

"Congratulations! Are you sure you're not Spider-Man?" the announcer laughed playfully.

Peter's imposter seemed to think for a minute, before casually standing with his weight held back on one leg, "Well, even if I was, I couldn't tell you that, could I?"

Peter fumed inside, he was trying to imitate him in a manner so cocky it made his ears practically steam and eyebrows scrunch up in fury.

The announcer bellowed a laugh, along with everyone else, before a man ran onto the stage with a sealed envelope full of the prize money, a good three thousand. "On that note, it is my honour to award you with this," he said. And with that, he handed the masked man his reward.

"Wow, this'll buy me a nice car to impress all the ladies," he joked in a chipper voice, showing off his money, and Peter couldn't take it anymore. He threw his head back and let out a massive, frustrated groan, drawing the attention of the entire crowd and startling Matt.

"A car, really? A car? You win all that money and that's the best you can come up with. How very humble, and noble of you, heh," he said sarcastically, fuming, before he suddenly shot a web from his wrist, (causing everyone to suddenly gasp and stumble back), and swung away, leaving behind one very shocked crowd, an even more shocked "Spider-Man", and an utterly disbelieving, overwhelmed Matt.

* * *

2 weeks later.

Matt walked down the sidewalk of lower Manhatten. He'd had a busy day, attending several job interviews around the city, hoping that if luck went his way, he might just land one.

Ever since that night those few weeks ago, something had changed in Matt. He felt happier, lighter, like something had been shone into his very soul and awakened it from a deep, deep slumber. It was good; it inspired him. For once in many years he'd really picked up his life from the dirty ground and was getting things done and shifting back on track, dusting away the cobwebs. It felt great. He was getting somewhere; he was achieving stuff, and it was all thanks to a certain little cheeky red and blue hero.

Spider-Man had saved Matt's life in more ways than he'd ever know, and all he'd done was talk to him. It had done more good than one would think a simple conversation, or kind gesture, would do, and Matt would be lying if he didn't consider the web-slinger now his friend, even if he never saw him again.

Looking down into his hand he opened up a plastic container filled with little dark coloured balls of homemade food. They may not have looked like much, but they held a very special place in Matt's heart as a quick snack. They may no longer be shaped like flies, but they were the same recipe he'd made for those Halloween nibbles, the same ones Spidey had practically gobbled up that night, and Matt had learned to enjoy them, as they reminded him of that priceless encounter.

Matt's internal wanderings were cut short as he heard a startled gasp next to him. Without wasting a moment, he looked up in concern - wondering what was wrong, and if someone was in trouble. He was faced with a man looking almost fearfully up above himself, towards the sky, and out of curiosity, he followed his gaze. Immediately, his face slackened and lips parted slightly, as a shiver of heavy emotion and almost disbelief washed through his form.

There was Spider-Man, perched on the very edge of a building roof - right at the top, crouched on the tips of his toes with his small hands resting between his feet. The setting sun was shining right behind him, illuminating his form and casting a shadow over his being. He was looking right at him. He knew this because, the eyes, they "glowed". Realisation hit him like a ton of bricks, and he gasped, bringing a hand up to his mouth.

Spidey cocked his head to the side, before he seemed to coil up. He leaped off the ledge, extending his arms on either side of him, revealing a shimmery green glow as web gliders spread out from his sides. He dived straight towards the ground, and for a second, Matt thought he was coming down to him, before the gliders seemed to take an effect and his direction shifted as he caught the breeze. He zoomed right over Matt's head, grabbing something on his way, and landed on the wall behind him.

In the darker area, he could clearly see the glow shining off Spidey's chest, as he was wearing none other than the night costume he himself had designed. Matt couldn't help it when a tear trickled from one eye.

Spidey raised something up to his face and smelt it, before lifting up his mask, preparing to pop something in his mouth. It was then that Matt realised he'd snagged one of his Halloween snacks from the container still open in his hand as he went over, and couldn't help but stare in slight awe as it quickly disappeared as the web slinger ate it.

"Mmm," Spidey suddenly voiced, "Still just as good, if a little tastier. I like the improvements," he said. "Oh," he then added, as he did a little twirl of sorts on the wall, showing off his costume, "thanks for those tips you gave me, by the way, made it nice and easy. You like?" he asked.

Matt broke out into a ginormous grin, as it was about all he could do. But it was response enough, and Spidey's lips curled up into a friendly smile that Matt could see because of his raised mask.

"Good," Spidey said, before he then shot a web, and swung down the street. "See ya round," Matt could hear him yell back in the distance, and couldn't help but stare, transfixed as his form disappeared.

He stood on the sidewalk, completely oblivious to the people as they walked by, before shaking his head with a smile, and making his way down the road, eventually merging in with the regular hustle and bustle of New York City.

* * *

 **With the suit, I only added that because of the Halloween theme and I thought it was a cool idea to acknowledge the latest Amazing Spider-Man comic book costume as like a special night time one. For the rest of these stories he's wearing the suit from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie :) Also, others who have left requests I'd like to let you know that most of them ARE coming. I am listening ;)  
**

 **Coming soon: Spidey gets a little more affected by the cold than he expected!**

 **I hope you have a nice day! :)**


	16. Cold

**Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou for the wonderful response to the previous story, you're gonna make me cry! But anyway, before I get all soppy, here is the next one :P I have seen that many prompts everywhere for stories where Spider-Man is effected by the cold, and this is my response to that.** **Also, I just love the many scenarios that can be developed from lack of webbing :P**

 **Guest: Hahaha no, he was not eating real flies :P They were just made to look like them :)**

 **Other guests: Those are all great ideas :)**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Cold! That's all Spider-Man felt as he leapt and swung across the dark, snowy rooftops of New York City on a dull winter's night. His fingers felt numb as he leapt at another ledge, pulling himself up with more strain than usual as they struggled to grip the icy material. His red and blue suit - clinging tightly to his small frame against the cold - had a deep, shadowy look to its colours, white bug lenses glinting whenever his head turned in the direction of a street lamp, giving him an almost majestic look.

Finally pushing himself up and running across the rooftop, he grunted as his foot slipped from under him, causing his spider-sense to tingle slightly, as he slammed down onto the hard surface. He let out a few lung-racking coughs as the cold seeped into his chest despite the heavy thermals under his costume, frosty breaths escaping him.

Getting up quickly he shot a web across the street and began swinging instead, having given up on trying to manoeuvre around the slippery rooftops, gritting his teeth as the freezing air ripped past his form.

He'd always wondered if he'd have any negative inheritances from the spider bite, but had never encountered any in the past. That is, until now, as the freezing chill in his bones was hard to miss, or maybe it was just an extra cold winter? Either way, all he knew was that he was cold.

Shivering he pulled his legs up beneath him, letting go of his web, and prepared to shoot a new one. But when he flicked his wrist back in his famous hand signal and no new strand shot out from his web shooter, dread filled his stomach. Empty.

Without having time to react, he plummeted towards the ground, desperately shooting off his other web shooter in the hope that it still had some juice, only to hear another heartless click.

As a last minute attempt he scrambled to grab onto the sides of walls as he fell, trying to find purchase, but only succeeding in stirring up ice and being sent flailing and screaming in a panicked mess towards the hard, unforgiving ground.

* * *

The sizzling of meat crackled through the small, bright apartment from the kitchen stove as Bradford sat up from the soft, orange/brown couch in the living room with a paper in hand. He stretched, feeling his stiff muscles flex and contort right down his back. It had been a hard, long day at work as a builder, and he was glad to finally settle down and have a nice dinner with his family.

Speaking of said family, he turned to look over at the kitchen on the other side of the room, where his wife, Mary, was busy cooking away. He smiled at her sweet beauty, before he was distracted by a three year old girl, twelve year old boy and fourteen year old teen walking into the room from the hallway.

"Hey kiddos! What are you all up to?" Bradford asked, with his relatively middle-ranged voice.

"TV," the eldest, Lucy, simply said.

"Yeah, we're watching TV," his youngest, Lilly, then agreed in a confident, precise manner. Jordan, (the third child), just rolled his eyes at his sisters and sat on the couch, switching on the remote.

"Yeah alright, I'll just go set the table for your mum," Bradford said, before moving tiredly over towards the average-sized dining table near the middle of the room.

The kids didn't answer him though as they just settled down to watch whatever it was they were watching.

Bradford had only just opened the cupboard to get the plates, when there was a sudden loud crash from outside.

Bang!

Everyone in the room jumped as the sound jarred through their thoughts, Mary quickly looking round in confusion.

"Dad?" Lucy asked, with a hint of worry or concern in her voice, as she looked towards the direction of the sound. Before Bradford had time to react though, she was moving towards the large window, and hesitantly pulling back the curtain. Instantly, she let out a startled gasp. "DAD!" she yelled. He didn't need to think twice, as he ran towards her.

Stopping just behind her at the window, he leaned over to see what she was looking at. The minute he saw it though, his jaw hung open in disbelief. Spider-Man, the city's very own mysterious hero, was lying prone on their fire escape, red and blue form unmistakable.

Bradford just stood there with his mouth wide open, but after several minutes passed and the man/creature didn't get up, he burst into activity, flipping open the latches of the window and pulling it up.

"What is it?" Mary asked, coming forward slightly, but Bradford ignored the comment, as he carefully slipped through the window.

It was freezing! The minute he stepped out onto the fire escape his body was hit with the icy cold air - a dramatic change from the warm, heated apartment. Pulling his jacket closer around his chest and composing himself for a minute, he remembered why he was out here, and slowly moved towards the shadowed form.

He was laying face down, arms and legs splayed out slightly and body visibly shivering on the icy metal.

Hesitantly moving one foot closer and taking a deep breath, he poked the vigilante, half expecting to need to scramble back if he moved, but he didn't. Looking briefly back at the window, he poked him again, and then shook him. All attempts were in vain though, as the web slinger didn't move a muscle.

Getting flustered, Bradford reached out a hand, and flipped Spidey over.

The shiny insect-like eyes stared up at him, but the form remained limp other than the intensifying shivering of his body.

Not being entirely sure what he was doing, Bradford reached out an unsure hand towards Spidey, hovering it over him for a second, before reaching down to the slender, red-clad neck. With shaking fingers he touched them to the webbed spandex material, feeling its texture under his finger tips - ready to bolt away at a seconds notice in case he was grabbed.

Bradford had absolutely no experience with Spider-Man or superhumans/aliens, and had only recently moved to New York with his family. So he had really no idea what he should be doing, but when no strong hand came up to grab his, he relaxed slightly, and started shifting his fingers around, searching for his throat.

He instantly knew when he'd found it, for the minute he touched it, felt the slow flutter of a heart beat. He assumed this was good, but had no medical knowledge, so he pressed his fingers to his own throat to compare the difference.

His was much faster, and stronger, almost pounding in his ears with the combination of shock of what was happening and nervousness, so he laid his fingers further over Spidey's throat, and pressed down gently, trying to seek out a stronger beat. The effort was unsuccessful though, as the pulse didn't get any stronger.

Suddenly, he jumped out of his skin, ripping his hand away as Spidey coughed, making a whimpering sound, nearly giving him a heart attack. When no further response came from him though, he relaxed, feeling slightly guilty that he'd probably disturbed the hero through his actions in trying to help.

Attempting not to break down into a nervous wreck, he bent down and slid his hands under Spidey's form, lifting him up into his arms where he lay limply, head lolling slightly, before heading back towards the window.

The minute he crawled back in with the unconscious superhero in his arms there was a sudden explosion of gasps, Mary moving back several steps with a shaky hand hovering near her mouth, eyes never leaving the prone form.

"Couch, quick," Bradford ordered, and Lucy and Jordan scrambled madly off the couch after also having been staring.

Bradford moved round and deposited Spidey on the soft cushions, before stepping back and just taking several minutes to stare at him, mouth still hanging open slightly. It wasn't until Spidey coughed again and tried to curl up on the seat, shivering painfully, that he burst out of his thoughts.

"Mary, make him something warm to drink. Anything! Just make sure it's hot! Girls, fetch a blanket and fill up a hot water bottle; anything warm you can find. Jordan, help me heat him up somehow!" he ordered, getting everyone into action. It took a few seconds for them to respond, before they all simultaneously took off to their assigned tasks.

Bradford focused back on Spider-Man lying before him, looking over his form in a panicked manner, before picking up a gloved hand. It was ice cold.

"Dad? Dad is he dangerous?" his son asked nervously, as he looked over the back of the couch.

"I-I don't know Jordan, I don't know. Moving to New York, we really should have looked more into this superhuman stuff and got the facts. I don't know what he is. But just help me; help me warm him up, he's freezing," Bradford replied in a frazzle, as he started rubbing Spidey's hand in his, creating friction and hopefully, warmth.

"What do I do?" Jordan asked, looking unsure and flustered.

"Just rub his arms up and down and try to get heat back into them. He'll get hypothermia if we don't," he instructed.

Jordan quickly did what was instructed and started vigorously rubbing at Spidey's red and blue arms while his father did his hands. Bradford noticed his son start as Spidey coughed again, the motion sounding pained as Spidey continued to shiver, small whimpers starting to come from him. Bradford really wasn't sure if he was awake or not.

Jordan gave him an unsure look before the girls suddenly rushed back into the room.

"We've got several blankets Dad and I filled up the hot water bottle," Lucy said, holding them all with the help of her sister.

"Good, good, bring them here," he said, and quickly grabbed the thick blankets, piling them on the whimpering form, winding them right round underneath after lifting him so that it looked like he was cocooned under a mountain of blankets. Then, when he'd done that he took the hot water bottle from Lucy's hand, checked the cap, and carefully placed it under the blankets, right over the centre of Spidey's chest.

Instantly, feeling the sweet warmth, Spidey curled himself around it, letting out a small sound of contentment.

Bradford stepped back from his work and breathed out a big sigh, watching the figure hidden under the blankets hugging the hot water bottle to his chest.

He nodded. "Good job. Good job guys," he said, relaxing himself from the initial shock.

"Would you like me to look him up? I could get my laptop and search him. Just to be sure," Lucy quietly suggested.

"Yeah, yeah you do that; that would be wise, yes," Bradford agreed, and Lucy went trudging back to her room.

It was merely minutes later that she came walking back in, now holding a black laptop.

"My gosh...," she said simply, staring at the screen.

Bradford turned. "What, what is it?" he asked, in a worried rush.

Lucy didn't answer him at first, seeming to be in some kind of shock, before she moved over to the TV and plugged the laptop into it.

"Look," she said, as a website popped up onto the screen.

Instantly, words of encouragement and love towards the vigilante appeared, along with videos, news footage, photos and more, as the home page of a popular Spidey fan site came on.

"He's a famous superhero here in New York," Lucy explained, almost sounding star struck, as Bradford's eyes scrolled over the mountains of information before him. There were thank you messages 'by the thousands' in one section at the side, plus lots of footage taken on camera phones of Spidey saving and rescuing people. The entire site was decorated with a red and blue design that resembled closely to the uniform the figure behind him was currently wearing.

Of course, Bradford had heard of Spider-Man, but he'd never really paid full attention to the matter. But now, oh he wished he had.

"Click on one of the videos," he told his daughter, who quickly obliged, bringing up the closest one.

The screen soon showed a grainy image of some sort of street festival going on, and people screaming and panicking. Bradford felt confused as to what was going on for a second, until he noticed a large truck crashing uncontrollably towards the crowd. He gasped as he quickly panicked at what he thought they were about to see, before something amazing happened. A red and blue form swung in from nowhere and landed in front of the truck with his arms stretched out before him, slamming into it - and with tremendous strength skidded it to a holt, feet gripping to the pavement, sliding only slightly. Then, just after the truck and people had been saved, the video cut out.

"Oh. My. Gosh," was all Mary could say as she stared at the screen, while Bradford was still trying to get his head around the impossible (and yet incredible) act he'd just seen, accomplished by the very same man who he'd just carried, shivering, off his fire escape.

"Look at some of the pictures and posts," he requested, pulling himself together.

Images of many different rescues flooded the screen, some with people even posing with the hero.

There were images of a little girl who looked like she'd come out of a fire, hanging with a rather dishevelled looking Spidey, hugging him and giving him a lollypop (which Bradford couldn't help but find an adorable scene); pictures of Spidey helping old ladies cross the street, pushing cars, lazing on cranes. There was even an image of Spidey splayed out on a web hammock with a young boy, plus many more. The page seemed to be overloaded with them.

On the posts there were: stories of Spidey standing up for bullied children, turning up at birthdays, carrying someone's shopping bags; locals talking about helping an injured Spidey on unfortunate occasions; heck, there was even a thank you story of Spidey rescuing a kitten from a drain. And this wasn't all, as on top of that there were websites and websites full of stuff about the mysterious hero, the only negative ones being by a newspaper called 'The Bugle'. This city loved him!

It was at that moment that Bradford turned around, staring at the small looking figure curled up tightly on his couch in shock. He was having a hard time believing it, but when he heard the hero's chest wheeze slightly, he was shattered from his stunned state. Remembering the condition he had found the hero in, and with a new burning desire and purpose in his heart, he bent down to check if the vigilante was any warmer.

He was, but he still had a slight tight sound to his breathing and odd shiver to his form, causing Bradford's brow to crease in concern.

"Here," his wife suddenly said from next to him, and he looked up to see her holding out a warm steaming cup of hot chocolate. "It's ready," she informed, voice soft and concerned.

"Thanks honey," Bradford said, and reached out, encasing his hand around the full cup. Looking over the vigilante, he hesitantly picked up his head, movements now surprisingly slow and gentle, and looked over the costume covering his mouth. "Could you lift the suit above his mouth please?" he asked, and Mary quickly leaned forward, sifting her fingers around Spidey's neck, before finding the seam and sliding it over his mouth, revealing the hero's pale white jaw.

Taking in a deep breath, Bradford moved the cup towards his lips, and used his fingers to carefully open his mouth. At no complaint from the hero, he poured a small amount in.

Spidey coughed slightly, causing him to jump, before wetly swallowing down the liquid, pale throat moving as he did so. After a few seconds of stillness, he moved forward and once again used his fingers to coax the hero's mouth open, and poured in some more.

Spidey swallowed almost immediately this time, throat moving in two quick gulps.

Getting the hang of it, Bradford went for a third time, pouring in a slightly larger amount. It was instantly swallowed with a new-found eagerness, as Spidey opened his mouth again in expectation of the delicious liquid.

Obliging, he began pouring the hot chocolate in quickly, barely stopping between mouthfuls as Spidey began drinking it down almost desperately. Bradford moved a hand over the hero's throat to stroke slightly when he coughed again, having seen it done by nurses, and immediately felt the warm drink flowing deep down Spidey's throat to his belly.

The minute the cup was empty Spidey's barely-conscious self settled back down onto the couch, sighing in deep contentment as the warmth from the drink warmed him up from the inside. Bradford couldn't help but smile at the sight, knowing he'd done this magnificent hero some good, no matter how small it was.

"Here, all finished," he said to Mary, who'd been watching the whole scene, holding out the empty cup, with a touch of pride to his voice.

"Nice job there," she told him, a little surprised at her husband's skill, before walking off to place the cup in the sink.

"Daddy, would this help Spidey-Man feel better," his youngest daughter suddenly said, holding out a thick, pink, knitted scarf and a fluffy beanie.

Bradford chuckled. "I'm sure it will, if you want to let him use them," he said, amused by the idea of his daughter offering Spidey her pink scarf and beanie, but also slightly approving of her kind gesture.

"Yes, of course he can use them: he's a good spider cause he helped all those people," she said, and without further ado, placed the fluffy little beanie on Spidey's webbed head, gently and lovingly wrapping the warm scarf around his neck. When she was finished, she beamed up at Bradford with the biggest smile of achievement he'd ever seen her give.

"Haha, I'm sure that'll make him feel much better Lilly," he smiled back down at her.

"Yes, they are the cosiest and warmest ones I have," she announced triumphantly.

"Well done kiddo, well done. Now, I think we'd all better be quiet now, for I think our little friend here's resting, and we don't want to disturb him. So, let's go quietly have dinner now, yeah?" he said, noticing the hero's now heavily relaxed form, as he ushered the kids away from the couch and dimmed the lights in the room.

* * *

The first thing Spidey was aware of when he woke up was warmth, absolutely beautiful, blissful warmth, and that he was comfortable - really, really comfortable. He felt all snugly and warm and perfect, so much so that he didn't want to move. He fell back to sleep.

The second time Spidey woke up there was sunlight shining on his face, causing a bright light behind his eyelids. Yawning slightly he stretched, turning over on his side, before promptly falling back to sleep again.

The third time he woke up it was because of a strange noise, a strange noise he wasn't familiar with, and certainly didn't have at home. It was... a cat.

Slowly, Spidey peeled his eyes open and remained perfectly still, as he just stared at the tabby brown ball of fur with big yellow eyes that was slowly making its way up the pile of blankets towards him, purring loudly. Sucking in deep breaths, Spidey watched as it got closer and closer, kneading the blankets as it went, before it seemed to pause and contemplate something for a second, right before moving forward and giving his neck a big smooch.

Spidey yelped, scrambling back slightly from the offending animal, before a hearty chuckle filled the room. Spidey stilled, completely shocked at the sound, and at the surprising sight of a completely unfamiliar home that had greeted him.

"She likes you," the voice suddenly said affectionately, and Spidey slowly turned his head to find a man with a cup of morning coffee in hand leaning up against the wall, silently observing him.

Spidey just stared at him. "Wha-wh-who?" he stuttered, at a complete loss for words.

"Oh sorry, my name's Bradford, Bradford West. And this is my humble family home. You crashed on our fire escape last night out in the cold, all shivering and freezing, so I brought you in and warmed you up, and let you sleep here for the night. How are you feeling?" Bradford explained obligingly.

"Wha? I-I did?" was all Spidey managed to say, as he continued to stare.

"Yeah, it was pretty cold outside, and you weren't responsive, so I figured you could use the help," Bradford elaborated, taking a sip of his coffee.

Spidey thought hard for a second, and memories started to come back to him of travelling along the rooftops practically freezing to death, before falling - falling so very hard.

"Oh, right, I did," he said, realising. "No web fluid," he then mumbled, as he brought his hand up from under the covers, and stared at his wrist. It was at that moment, that he noticed something else. "Wait, am I wearing a pink scarf, and-and a beanie," he discovered as he felt the top of his head, before then quickly checking his mask, relieved to find it was still in place.

Bradford chuckled again." Yes, that would be my daughter Lilly; she offered them for you last night," he said.

Spidey looked up, "You have children?" he asked.

"Yes, three actually. They were a big help assisting me when I brought you in. Good kids they are," he answered.

Spidey gaped behind the mask, before a loud purring noise filled his ears again and the tabby cat came back, kneading at him and deciding to curl up in his lap.

Spidey's hands hung in the air the whole time, unsure what to do with them.

"Don't worry, she won't bite. In fact, she'd probably like you more if you gave her a pat," Bradford said, a smile in his voice as he watched the vigilante. "Anyway, would you like some breakfast? I could make you some scrambled eggs," he offered, as he pushed off the wall and walked towards the kitchen.

"Ugh-ugh yeah, I guess I am kind of hungry thanks," Spidey said hesitantly, while giving the cat a tentative pat on the head.

"Eggs it is then," Bradford answered cheerily, before the sound of a door opening came from down the hallway, quickly followed by fast thumping footsteps.

"Spidey-Man!" Lilly exclaimed as she emerged into the room and caught sight of the large spider sitting up on the couch. "I'm glad you're feeling better!" she said, as she ran over to him, beaming, before quickly wrapping him in a hug.

"Oh," Spidey voiced as she squeezed him, before she finally let go and smiled at his face, mask not seeming to bother her at all.

"I see Chestnut likes you," Lilly said, as she noticed the cat currently residing in his lap, and giggled as she leant down to give her an affectionate pat. She purred louder in response. "Good girl," Lilly complimented, as Chestnut closed her eyes in bliss at the affection.

Spidey couldn't help but smile, as she rolled over on her back playfully, getting a belly rub from Lilly. He giggled at the peaceful exchange, all before his spider-sense suddenly buzzed in his head, and he jumped just before the cat grabbed at him with its claws, playfully trying to nip his arm.

Chestnut suddenly took off across the room and hid under the table at his response, tail slightly puffed up.

Spidey sat where he'd perched on the back of the couch, panting, trying to get a hold of the situation and looking around frantically.

"Spidey! Spidey it's alright. It's alright Spidey-man. Chestnut won't hurt you," Lilly suddenly soothed, as she carefully padded at his arm in a childlike attempt to calm him down, pulling him back onto the mound of blankets, before wrapping him in another hug, cuddling up to his startled form - as he was still looking around alert.

"Is everything alright!?" Bradford yelled in panicked concern from the kitchen at the racket, momentarily leaving the food he'd just put on the stove.

"Yeah, it's alright daddy. Spidey just had a scare. But he's good now," Lilly said, in her little voice, giving Spidey a reassuring squeeze.

Bradford smiled, "Did Chestnut give him a fright eh? She does that sometimes, playful little tiger. She's still relatively a kitten. She's alright though," he said, with a slight chuckle, as he looked over the situation before getting back to his cooking.

"Honey? Is everything alright?" came a female voice, before a woman with a curious and concerned look on her face appeared through the hallway. When she caught sight of Spidey in his current position - being death squeezed by Lilly - though, she broke out into a big grin.

"Oh hello! You're up early. How are you feeling?" she greeted cheerily.

Spidey sucked in a big breath at her concern, before letting it out in one big puff. "Better, much better thanks," he said, voice sounding a little muffled behind the mask.

"Good, that's good to hear. It's an honour to help, and to have you in our home. You had us all quite worried last night," she said sincerely.

Spidey swallowed, "I did?" he asked.

She sighed. "Yes, you did. You were so cold and in obvious distress, gave us all a bit of a shock. We didn't even really know who you were, and had to look you up, because we've only just moved here. But really, it's truly an honour to be able to help you. We warmed you up and wrapped you in thick blankets, while Brad here fed you some hot chocolate. Then we just let you sleep," she said.

"He-he fed me? While I was unconscious?" Spidey stuttered.

Mary laughed. "Yes he did," she replied kindly.

Spidey stared. "W-why?" he asked, curious.

She smiled. "Because he cared," she replied.

Spidey just sat there for a second, at a slight loss for words at this act of kindness he wasn't even aware of.

Mary noticed his shock, and quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, do you know what happened to you last night?" she asked.

Spidey looked down, "No, no I don't. All I really remember is being really cold, and numb. I was trying to move along the rooftops and couldn't get a grip from all the ice. And, and fell," he said, looking vaguely at her when he said this, head moving a little as he spoke.

"Has this ever happened to you before?" she asked.

"No no, it hasn't. I-I guess it could be a side effect of being part spider though," he explained.

"So, you're human then?" Mary asked, becoming slightly hesitant and shy, voice dropping.

"Yes, relatively. Although I am part spider. Cross-species if you like," he answered confidently.

"Since when was that a thing?" Bradford suddenly piped in from the kitchen.

"Oh, it's not really. It's very rare, and usually the result of dodgy experiments. Mine...mine kinda happened by accident. But now I'm stuck this way permanently, so I thought I might as well use my new abilities to help people. Hence how I became the ridiculous superhero I am," he revealed trustingly to them.

"You're not ridiculous. You're incredible and help a lot of people! Don't ever downplay yourself spiderling!" Bradford exploded.

Spidey laughed, looking away, slightly embarrassed. "Alright, alright if you say so," he whined, but not without joyous cheer.

Bradford laughed. "Here, get that into you," he said, walking over towards them. And the next thing Spidey knew, there was a steaming plate of scrambled eggs in front of him.

"Can I have some? Can I have some too daddy?!" Lilly suddenly piped up, leaping away from her silent position next to Spidey on the couch to run up after Bradford back into the kitchen.

"Sure darling, sure," he responded to her, placing more eggs in the pan.

Spidey looked down at his own eggs resting in his lap, before - not being able to hold out against his rumbling stomach any longer- quickly lifting the mask from his mouth, and gobbling it down.

After he'd taken a few large mouthfuls, he looked up at Mary who'd been staring at him in shocked surprise.

He swallowed his current mouthful of egg, before addressing her startled expression. "Sorry," he said. "Side effect of being part spider, I eat a lot," he explained, then, just as quickly, crammed another huge amount of egg and toast in his mouth, chewing vigorously, before somehow managing to squeeze it all down in one gulp without choking.

"Aha," Mary simply responded, unimpressed.

Bradford laughed, coming round to the table with several more plates of food, "if he keeps eating like that, I'll be worried about him getting fat," he joked, and Spidey felt a blush of embarrassment work its way up his face under the mask. But he slowed down to a more reasonable pace all the same.

"Breakfast's ready!" Bradford yelled out to the rest of the house, "And be polite, as we have a guest," he giggled, as he set the food down on the placemats.

* * *

Several hours later Spider-Man sat perched on the very tip of the Empire State Building, wearing a thick brown coat of Bradford's with the pink warm beanie still being tucked on his head, and scarf curled around his neck, staring out over the busy morning of the city. He couldn't believe what Bradford's family had done for him. The kindness they'd shown to him, even though they had no idea who he was, was incredible. This city was really starting to love him, and he found it daunting: such an overwhelming fact that it chocked up his throat and swelled his chest.

He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that the people were finally starting to accept him, and let alone that, they were starting to _care_ for him. It was mind boggling. But it was just something he was going to have to accept. Things were changing, one small moment at a time, and he was going to have to get used to it.

Shifting slightly, he leaned his head upwards, lenses flickering.

The sun shone down and warmed his skin, licking the cheeks of his face with its golden kiss.

Before long, he got himself into position, and jumped straight down towards the inner depths of the concrete jungle of life below him with a fast paced whoosh, ready for the day to begin.

* * *

 **Now, I'm not entirely sure if Spider-Man is actually more vulnerable to low temperatures or "cold blooded" but even if he's not I tried to make it subtle so it could just be from extra cold weather :) Either way, I hope you liked this and found it enjoyable to read :) Next, I hope to post a Christmas chapter, or maybe two :P :) Keep an eye out! :D**

 **Until next time :)  
**


	17. New Life (Special Xmas Chapter)

**Happy belated Christmas folks! As promised, here is the special Christmas chapter :) I really hope you enjoy! :D I felt very emotional while writing this one :)**

 **Guest: Thank you sooo much for your incredible review! It's really nice to hear you like my stories so much :) In answer to your question, I'm actually Australian, so no, I don't intend Spidey's dialogue to be read in British, he's an American character :P I must have a British style of writing lol. I hope that's not a problem :) But yeah, it isn't intentional :)**

 **WARNING: Just to let you know this chapter does contain what may be considered mature themes.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not blah blah, own this blah blah (these are getting boring aye?)**

 **READ! :D**

* * *

The agonizing screams could be heard all through the surrounding streets of New York, breaking the somewhat peaceful nature of the still night as light snowflakes fell softly from the sky, dusting the city in a layer of frosty white. The flickering patterns of fairy lights doused the neighbouring homes in a rainbow of colour, giving away the special significance of this particular evening: the symbolic nature not hard to miss.

A figure suddenly passed by with a rustle of wind, causing the tiny pieces of ice to twirl around in the air, arguably disturbing the peace, before another heart-wrenching scream echoed around the neighbourhood.

"Hello?! I'm here, it's alright! Where are you? I'm here!" the figure yelled in a panic, landing in a side alley and looking frantically around in the darkness. The only answer received though was another horrific scream, and without wasting a second, his head snapped in the direction, before he took off further down the alley.

Spider-Man knelt in front of a homeless woman lying on the ground with a little girl sitting next to her - clinging onto her arm. They were both wrapped in rather worn-looking thick coats, shielding them against the cold. He was visibly panicked, chest heaving up and down with desperate breaths as he looked frantically over her body.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, as he reached out a red-clad hand to touch her. The woman could only scream in reply, face terribly flushed and strained as she appeared to be in some form of agony.

"What is it? Are you hurt? Who did this to you?" he practically yelled in reply, head snapping around the alley walls looking for a perpetrator. He stopped though when another more dainty hand came up to grab his, entwining with his fingers, and he turned back. The woman was clinging to him like he was her lifeline, looking him dead in the face and shaking her head from side to side, as if she was trying to tell him something.

"What? I don't understand," he explained, giving his head a little shake. The woman appeared frustrated, before ultimately throwing her head back and screaming again, gut deep, unable to reply.

Spidey hopped up closer to her and grabbed her shoulder with his other hand. "Please, what's wrong? Tell me how to help you!" he asked, getting desperate. When the current bout of screaming finally subsided, she panted, while giving him a pained look, once again trying to communicate something.

"I-I," she choked, and Spidey cocked his head slightly to the side, awaiting her answer, before her face scrunched up into a grimace, and she once again grunted in pain.

"I don-" Spidey started to say, before his body froze still on the spot as he noticed a dampness around his feet, and he looked down, slowly shifting backwards away from her. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

"I'm gi-giving birth!" the woman finally managed to say between gasps, sounding extremely frustrated and desperate as she gritted her teeth again.

Spidey's eyes widened comically under the mask and he gulped audibly. All of a sudden, he couldn't breathe. Spidey stumbled away and leant against the wall as a wave of faintness washed over him, taking in deep, gasping breaths and swallowing hard. He was only a teenager; he was just a teenager and he had a pregnant woman right in front of him currently giving birth in an alley on Christmas Eve. He didn't know what to do.

In out, in out, he breathed, trying to calm himself down - slowing the bubble of panic rising within him. He was just getting himself together when a little voice piped up between the mother's agonizing screams.

"Are you going to help my mummy, Mr Spider-Man?"

Spidey lifted his head from his place leaning against the wall and was met with the begging blue eyes of the little girl still perched resiliently beside her mother. She probably didn't entirely understand what was going on, but she reminded him that there was no way he was going to leave this poor woman here to suffer on her own, late at night in a dangerous city like New York, to give birth in a gloomy alley.

 _'Come on Spidey, get yourself together. You aren't really going to faint over this are you? I can just see the headline 'The Amazing, spectacular Spider-Man faints over the sight of a woman giving birth!' How ironic,'_ he thought, mentally chuckling to himself at his panicked reaction, before taking in a deep breath and pushing off the wall.

"Yes, yes I'm going to help her," he said, with a new-found confidence, and knelt back down in front of the woman. "Ok," he said, sucking in a deep breath, "we should call an ambulance."

"No, too late, I'm giving birth NOW!" the woman yelled in response, making him jump as he removed his phone from his hidden belt.

"I could swing you to the nearest hospit-," he tried.

"No! I mean now!" she yelled even harder, before she started screaming again.

"Hey, hey, hey just take deep breaths," he said soothingly, as he reassuringly touched her arm, before looking down at the ready screen cupped in his hand, and then back at the woman again. "Ok, ok I'm really doing this, I'm really doing this, ok," he babbled to himself, as he speed dialled 911 on his phone, holding it up to his ear with his shoulder, before stripping off his gloves and rolling his sleeves up to his shoulders.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hello this is Spider-Man. I need to get in contact with a hospital immediately. I have a woman giving birth right in front of me and I-I," he swallowed as his throat closed up.

"Right, I'll put you through immediately," the woman on the line said, seeming to sense the situation, and immediately re-directed him to the nearest hospital.

"Hell-"

"Hey, Spider-Man here, I need help. I have a woman giving birth right now and-"

"Alright, alright calm down, we're tracing your call and will have an ambulance there as soon as possible." Spidey's heart clenched and he said a silent thank you to the heavens that he'd used a cheap spare phone especially for situations like this instead of his personal one, if they were already, _already_ tracing his call...

A chill went down his spine, but he shook it off and focused again at the task on hand, reminding himself to dispose of this mobile when he was done.

"Now, you're going to need to remove any clothing in the way and determine how far the labour has progressed. Can you do that for me?" the woman advised.

"Yeah, umm-umm ok," Spidey replied nervously, before directing his large bug eyes up at the woman's face, silently asking for permission. She nodded after looking him in the eye for a moment, still grimacing.

"Oh mother, oh...darn I can see the head!" he practically screamed a few seconds later after he pulled the woman's clothes out of the way so they wouldn't constrict the newborn's entrance to the world.

"Ok, that's good, that's normal. That means the babies ready to come. You're going to need to encourage her to push downwards as hard as she can now with each contraction."

"Contraction?" Spidey asked.

"Yes, ahh, basically every time she experiences extreme pain," the nurse explained.

"Right," Spidey replied, and leaned up to touch the woman's arm lightly. "You're going to need to push hard now every time you experience a contraction," he told the woman. "Do you think you can do that?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle and soothing.

The woman's breathing spiked and a wide-eyed panicked look glazed over her eyes and she once again grabbed his hand, squeezing with extreme force.

"Ok, she's going to need to calm down. She's alright; get her to breath with you, in and out, nice and deep to quell that panic and help control the pain," the voice of the nurse piped through the phone, having been discretely listening.

"Ok, ok, ma'am? You're going to need to stay calm, alright? Take deep breaths, with me, ok?" he said, a newfound burst of confidence entering him, as he took a deep, slow breath, and exhaled evenly. Thankfully, the woman copied his movements. "Ok, that's good; you're alright," he encouraged, before she suddenly screamed in pain again.

"Now, she needs to push now," the nurse quickly informed, and Spidey relayed the message. The woman practically growled as she put everything she had into pushing.

"That's good, squeeze my hand all you like too if it helps. I'm extra strong, so it doesn't matter," he offered, and she immediately took advantage of it, squeezing his hand tight like one would a stress ball.

"Whoop, it's moving!" Spidey yelled, "It's moving!" he then repeated in almost disbelieving awe as he cupped his hand under the baby's now completely visible head, touch as gentle as a feather.

They continued this way for several minutes, with each contraction drastically increasing, before all of a sudden, Spidey received a light nudge from his spider-sense, breaking him from his trance. Like lightning, he snatched his other hand from hers and placed them both beneath the newborn as it emerged in one go.

The woman collapsed back against the wall and panted, thoroughly exhausted, while the little girl who'd been watching the exchange, wide-eyed, looked curiously towards Spidey's hands.

Spidey was in shock. His hands were shaking because of the extreme gentleness with which he was holding the delicate object within them. Little tiny wails and cries came from a little miniature mouth, while baby brown eyes blinked open for the first time.

He stared, unmoving, ever so slowly lifting the new born closer towards him. His head cocked to the side slightly as he took it in, tiny little feet and hands, umbilical cord still attacked to its belly. He swallowed, a lump having formed in his throat, before lovingly curling it closer to his chest, and shifting up towards the mother.

The second she laid eyes on her child, she sobbed, tears streaming from her eyes as she carefully took the baby from Spidey's unusually delicate arms, letting it snuggle into her warm chest.

"It's a little boy," Spidey informed quietly, voice choked, as he watched the exhausted mother embrace her new child. His chest swelled with a new-found respect for women, at the incredible act he'd just witnessed firsthand: the concept that he'd just seen new life blossom forth rendering him silent and breath taken.

"Try to keep the mother and child as warm as possible," he heard the nurse softly speak from the phone. He carefully moved forward to lift the woman's jacket and clothing over the two so the baby was directly against her chest.

He could hear sirens emerging in the distance, and soon found himself stepping back as nurses and medics swarmed the family huddled tightly together. They loaded the mother onto a stretcher and wheeled her into the ambulance, with the rather silent older daughter going in after her.

He watched as the ambulance disappeared into the distance.

* * *

Spidey bounced his leg as he sat in the waiting room of the hospital several hours later, having now cleaned himself up and replaced his gloves.

People stared at him, giving him odd looks, but he ignored them, his only thoughts being the mother and child, and whether or not they were alright. It was three in the morning - the baby having been delivered just after midnight - but even in the early hours of Christmas day the hospital was still full.

"Spider-Man?"

Spidey snapped his head up faster than a rocket - from where he'd been staring at a muffin and soda he'd bought that he had not touched - to see a woman wearing a nurse's uniform holding up a clipboard looking down at him.

"You may see them now," she informed, and Spidey's eyes widened in shock that they had even decided to let him in, before his brain caught up with the fact and he jumped bouncily to his feet, startling the nurse slightly, waiting to follow her.

The nurse, quickly getting the message, began leading him through the doors into the many inner corridors of the hospital, twisting and turning: the walls a simple pale blue and floors a squeaky white, people in beds, and stretchers everywhere. Spidey soon got the jitters as they passed many rather sick looking people and complex machines, many confused or hard glares being directed his way.

Soon the nurse led him to a simple, silver lift and Spidey felt his stomach drop as they were taken up several floors.

"This way," the nurse said as she led him down some corridors in a quieter part of the hospital, before stopping in front of a room and pulling the curtain back for him to enter.

Inside the mother lay calmly resting on a bed, baby quietly feeding on her chest. The image was surprisingly peaceful and serene. The little girl was sitting in a chair next to the bed, staring at the child, not unlike how Spidey had been mere hours before. She looked up as Spidey entered, and he ducked his head a little as if shy, before clearing his throat.

The mother immediately looked up, and Spidey was worried what her reaction might be to seeing him there, but her face broke out into a smile, and she beckoned him over.

Slowly, he walked up until he was standing next to the bed, while the mother reached down and stroked her babies face, receiving a small sound in response. Once again, Spidey found himself entranced. His lenses shifted around slightly as he moved his head, gazing over the tiny, delicate bundle in her arms.

"He's beautiful," the mother suddenly voiced, before looking up at him. "Thank you so much for helping me bring him into the world. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't," she said, tears lingering in her eyes. Spidey ducked his head again awkwardly and swallowed, before she reached out a hand to touch his arm. "Hey, it's alright, you did good. You did more than anyone expected of you," she complimented, smiling.

He nodded slightly in acknowledgment, before she looked down at her child, and looked back up at him again with a small smile playing at her lips. "Would you like to hold him?" she asked, and Spidey balked, taken aback, before she slowly started lifting the baby up in the air. "Here," she invited, and Spidey hesitantly reached down to pick the child up.

Before he knew it, Spidey had the newborn baby wrapped up in his arms. Spidey looked down at the bundle, and saw the tiny little face sleeping peacefully, smacking its lips. He just stood there, holding him close to his red and blue chest, and subconsciously found himself bouncing the child slightly as it slept, hesitantly stroking a gloved thumb against its cheek. He was completely unaware that he'd attracted the gaze of everyone in the room, plus several others outside who were curiously taking a peek at what was going on, and before he realized, had held the baby in silence for a good ten minutes. Feeling he'd had enough, he looked up and placed the baby back in his mother's arms, watching him snuggle back against her chest.

"You'll be a good father one day, when you grow up," the mother said kindly, the second part spoken extra softly, and Spidey looked up, picking up on the unspoken knowledge that she somehow knew he was only young. He nodded his head shyly.

"Thanks," he said, looking to the side slightly as he swallowed again from the emotion. She only smiled again in response before the nurse then came forward and tapped his arm.

"It's time to go," she said.

Spidey nodded, "Ok," he said, "Will you be alright now?" he then directed at the mother.

"Yes, they're going to set me up somewhere safe and offer me help, thank you," she said, sensing his admirable concern. "Feel free to visit anytime. Can you give him the details of the shelter before he leaves?" she asks the nurse.

"Yes, certainly," she nodded.

"Thank you," the mother replied.

Spidey shifted his gaze to his feet as he was led out, before pausing to look back again at the entrance, seeing the little girl watching him attentively and taking one last gaze at the now-smiling mother and her child, before he moved away and the curtain was closed back around behind them.

Now all he had to do was make it home before dawn and try not to fall asleep during Christmas day. What a night.

* * *

 **I hope you like :) Thanks for reading and is this Christmas story enough for you guys? Or do you want a second? Let me know :) Otherwise I'll just get back to writing my other usuals :) Have a wonderful holiday season! :D  
**


	18. Resolution (Special New Year's Chapter)

**Hello everyone! I got that many requests for a New Year's/holiday story, sooo, here is a present from your friendly neighbourhood writer :) I'm sorry it took so long, I really wanted to do the very best I could for you guys. So I hope you like it.**

 **Now I bring you, Resolution :)**

 **Guest: Wow, it is an honor to be compared to J.K. Rowling! Thanks :)**

 **Guest 2: Thank You so much for telling me that :) It's nice to know.  
**

 **Americanpharoahf: Well, it may not be the 3rd of Jan :P But here is the next chapter now :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Spider-Man**

* * *

One of the most reflective and renewing times of the year, New Year's Eve - when people look over what they've achieved, memories they've experienced, and even where they went wrong along the way, aiming to make the near future better (even if just by a little) than what it was yesterday. It was no different for Spidey, as for once, _once_ in his chaotic, busy life, he sighed, letting himself relax.

He was sat perched on a low pot plant that was holding a neatly clipped green bush, practically level with and resting not much higher than the heads of the thousands of New Yorkers he was currently surrounded by. Although, they did not seem to mind his unusual and highly close proximity, as they were all waiting with held breaths and patient eagerness for the brilliant display they were about to see.

Spidey took a sip of his warm, froth filled coffee - contained in a Styrofoam cup, and sat down properly on the concrete edge of the plant, dangling his legs over the side. A very nice man from one of the local cafes had offered it to him for free not long ago, and he couldn't say no: the thought of a nice, energising drink after his long day of work just too good an offer to pass up. Licking his lips he gazed up at the spot where the fireworks would soon be, right somewhat in the centre of Times Square, truly soaking in the magnificence of this great spot here in his home town. He took the time to appreciate this moment.

The morning had been relatively usual, just swinging around the city: stopping this, preventing that, helping this person, consoling that one. It wasn't until a bit later in the afternoon that things had got a bit interesting.

The crowds were starting to pick up, and he was hanging around the centre of the city, taking a small break, when an officer had tapped him on the back...from where he was sitting on the top of a skyscraper building, one hundred stories up! The man had looked puffed, bending over slightly and panting in exhaustion. The whole scene looking oddly out of place, as Spidey realised he must have either run up the internal stairs of the building, or climbed the fire escape. Then again, he could have always just used the lift.

He'd waited patiently, curious as to what the man had to say, before the officer finally straightened up, and said in a relieved, breathy tone, "Thank goodness you're still here! I was hoping you wouldn't leap off before I reached you," he'd said, and Spidey had been very taken aback by this - it showing in his body language as he'd leaned backwards slightly, startled at the remark, before the man had continued. "Me, and some of the other officers were wondering, well, if maybe," he'd said nervously, cutting off.

"Yes," Spidey had replied encouragingly.

"If-if you'd like to help us, as in the police, patrol tonight and keep the crowds safe, you know, with New Year's Eve and all?"

By that point, Spidey had been smiling widely beneath the mask, astounded and moved that the boys in blue (at least a few of them) had personally asked him to help them out with the festive evening, obviously putting quite a bit of personal effort into doing so. Maybe as of yet, not _quite_ every police officer hated him.

"Yes, I'd be honoured," he'd replied, getting up from the ledge. And it all went from there.

He'd spent the rest of the evening vigilantly watching over the crowds, enjoying the precious sight of people enjoying themselves. It had been pretty well behaved, only a few drunks causing trouble where he'd had to step in and intervene, quickly defusing the situation and making sure the people who'd over indulged got the help they needed safely. There'd been a case where a man had got aggressive and he'd had to help the cops hold him down and get him into a police car before he hurt someone. He'd kicked up quite a fight, but the disturbance was soon dealt with and everything went back to normal.

Now, Spidey had joined the rest of the New Yorkers, rather enjoying himself as he wound down from all the day's (and the year's) hard work. He wondered what Aunt May and Gwen were doing right now? He hoped they were happy, and felt sad that he couldn't be with them, but something in the back of his mind wished deeply that they were somehow (either here or at home) watching the same ceremony he was about to see.

"Hey!" someone said with annoyance, and he snapped out of his inner thoughts to see that one of his dangling legs had gotten caught in someone's hand bag: the woman standing in front of him to be exact - red booted foot tangled in the shoulder strap. She turned around, lips ready to throw out whatever insult she may have been going to give, but she froze half way, obviously very surprised by the sight of the extremely innocent looking arachnid sitting behind her with large bug eyes - almost making it seem like he had his eyes widened - a cup of coffee in hand and a warm, grey beanie being perched floppily on his head. Her gaze then trailed down to the red Spidey boot caught up in her strap.

He gulped, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, and she must have heard it, as her eyes once again trailed up to his head.

"Ah, s-sorry," he said, feeling suddenly guilty, as he pulled his legs back up to him, quickly sitting so he was now crouched in his spot. He looked down towards the ground.

The woman just continued to gape at him, and for a scary moment, he thought she was going to faint, as her face went white with shock. "Spider-Man?" she finally choked out.

"The one and only," he answered.

She just continued to stare, looking at him, before gazing around at the crowd, and the close position he was in, before looking back again. The cogs in her brain seemed to turn, and he tilted his head at her, before she appeared to accept whatever she was having trouble grasping earlier, and spoke up.

"Ah, umm, don't worry; it's fine, no harm done," she said, smiling nervously.

"Umm, ok," he said, nodding his head slowly, the awkwardness painfully obvious.

"I, ahh, well, it's really nice to actually meet you, in the, in the flesh," she said, with a slight shy giggle, as she motioned to his form perched before her. "As in, I've never actually seen you in person before, so this is umm, this is really cool," she said, and she was beginning to smile brightly, and he immediately caught on to the fact that she'd never actually physically seen him before, and that she was slightly overwhelmed with the reality that he was sitting literally inches behind her. She was probably a fan.

He realised he most likely wasn't helping much, and shifted sightly in his position, looking down briefly, before making eye contact with her.

"So, are you a local round here or...?"

"Yes," she smiled, enthusiastically, "I'm a born and bred New Yorker! My name's Bridget," she introduced, hesitantly holding out her hand.

Spidey smiled to himself, before holding his own gloved hand out, and giving her a good firm hand shake. "Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, at your service. Nice to meet you," he said.

She utterly beamed, squeezing his fingers softly, almost seeming awed by his touch, and he could tell he'd just formed a precious memory for her, as it was becoming obvious she'd looked up to him for a while now, and that this moment meant a lot to her.

Suddenly, just as they let go, the crowd erupted into cheers, as someone started speaking over a loud speaker, and a big screen began counting down the seconds till midnight.

They both quickly looked up, and Spidey sat back down on the edge of his pot plant, legs dangling again, eagerly looking up to the sky.

Before he knew it, they were counting down from ten, and the minute it hit zero, the buildings exploded with fireworks. Red, green, yellow - the square was showered in flickering colours and sparks of rainbow, the sky a fountain of bright fire. The patterns danced through the sky, reflecting in Spidey's wide lenses, truly a spectacular sight to see, and quite the inspiration, as the sheer beauty of it all was dazzling. Spidey couldn't help but let his heart swell with hope for the new year.

This went on for a good ten minutes, before, with one last loud bang, the show was over - the last of the bursts echoing round the buildings.

Spidey took a deep breath – he could smell the smoke residue in the air, before ducking his head and rubbing at his ears, trying to remove the deafened ringing that now resided there. His slightly sensitive hearing was not happy with all the noise, but it was totally worth the experience.

"Wow that was amazing!" Bridget said, and it took Spidey a second to realise she was actually addressing him, before she turned around, beaming. "I've always loved fireworks."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. Bridget sighed, appearing to think, before suddenly rummaging round in her bag, and producing a packet of chips. "Want some?" she asked. "I'm really hungry after all that. Always could work up an appetite." she added, with a grin. And it went from there.

They spent the next few hours chatting casually while very slowly sharing a packet of chips, completely ignoring the odd looks they received from the other celebrating New Yorkers at the sight of a beanie-wearing Spider-Man with his mask hiked up to his nose randomly babbling away and sharing chips with a civilian.

Before long it was getting late, and it was about time for Spidey to get home to his Aunt.

Grabbing his now-cold coffee, he downed it in a few large gulps, before pitching it in a nearby trash can, his aim perfect. "Well, this spider better hit the hay. It was really nice meeting you," he said, giving her another hand shake.

"You too," she said, "and good luck Spidey," she added, addressing the New Year.

"Thanks, good luck to you too," he replied, before he was off, swinging through the familiar streets of the city, ready for some much earned shut-eye.

* * *

7 hours later

Spidey yawned, the early morning sun shining brightly down over the streets of New York, promising a wonderfully fresh atmosphere on the very first day of the year.

He'd gotten up early this morning to start his patrol, eager to get out and swing through the streets in the morning sun shine. He was now getting ready to practice some flips and tricks amongst some low rooftops in his home suburb of Queens, feeling like having a good warm- up. It was also his way of keeping at the top of his game. Plus, he always did like to show off a little while in the suit.

Quickly stretching his back and giving his shoulders a loose roll, he began leaping and jumping over the rooftops, flipping and twirling and building it up until he was soon pulling many famous Spidey poses, and back flipping this way and that way and all over the place: doing stunts that any normal person would wonder how he ever walked away from.

Spidey loved this - the freedom and joy his powers gave him - and before he knew it, he'd lost track of time, a crowd having formed around his chosen gymnastic playground, seemingly entertained by his flamboyant display. The owners of the homes had even come out to watch, thoroughly marvelled at the spider's antics.

Suddenly, mid hand-stand, his phone rang, and Spidey came to a stop, quickly rushing back to his bag to pull out the small device.

"Peter, stop showing off you silly bug boy, you're on the news!" came Gwen's tinny voice through the speaker.

Spidey looked up, and sure enough, there was a news camera plus a bunch of photographers focused his way, who'd gathered around while he wasn't paying attention.

"Awww, but I was having fun!" he pouted, pulling a whiny voice.

Gwen sighed at his theatrics.

"Ok," Spidey sobered, shifting the phone in his grip, "I'll stop playing around then, but in my defence, I wasn't aware I'd drawn such a crowd!"

"Peter, you're Spider-Man, you always draw a crowd. It's kinda hard to miss a dancing spider decked out in the brightest red and blue you could possibly find," she teased.

He groaned. "Oh alright, you win," he said.

He opened his mouth to continue, but before he could say anymore, his spider-sense chimed, and he looked down onto the street - searching for the cause. His stomach dropped.

"Gwen, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later," he said, shutting off the phone and scrambling quickly to the edge of the roof, crouching on the side. He knew she'd understand, but right now, he had a problem.

Further down the street he was currently residing in, stood a man. But not just any ordinary man, for in the last couple of seconds he'd decided to shed his coat and reveal the bomb tied around his waist; a gun appearing in his other hand.

Immediately, the many people surrounding him scattered, stumbling far away from him with looks of horror, as they created a large circle around where he stood.

Luckily, Spidey's crowd was far enough away to not be in any immediate danger, but all the same, an array of gasps filtered through them as they caught sight of what had so suddenly caught the web slinger's attention, and turned towards the commotion - the camera man's mouth widening as he picked up on the glinting silver of the now-revealed bomb.

"That's it, run, run!" the man yelled, deranged, as he pointed his gun around at the people, who all screamed and rippled out of the way of the direction he was pointing it in. "Yes, scream in terror, show me what a heartless pack of selfish fools you are, show me what you're truly made of!" he continued, as he started forward, trying to scare them, frightening the civilians even more.

He shot a round of bullets into the buildings, shattering glass and breaking up plaster. The people all ducked for cover, but remained unharmed. "You don't deserve to live, you ruined my life! So I'm gonna take you down too," he yelled, before continuing to shoot madly.

Spidey couldn't tell if he was really trying to kill the people, or just had terrible aim, but he did not want to take his chances, so he suddenly jumped down into the line of fire, creating a buffer between the man and the panicking civilians.

To his surprise, the man unexpectedly stopped. He stood there, the look on his face suddenly becoming uncertain. "Spider-Man?" he asked, as if he wasn't sure of it himself. He started shaking his head, "No, no, no you shouldn't be here, get out of here! Get away!" the man yelled at him, swatting his arm out loosely as if to shoo him off. He sounded genuinely concerned or distressed.

Spidey took a step forward, noting the feint beeping which signalled the timer of the bomb had already been set off.

His spider-sense buzzed, but he ignored it, holding his hands out in a peaceful manner.

"Look, you don't need to do this, ok? You're not thinking straight. Just turn the bomb off and go home. I'm sure we can come to some understanding with the cops, and they can get you help," Spidey said in a steady, calm voice.

The man just muttered to himself, looking around in distress, before looking vaguely back at him. "I can't, I can't," he said, shaking his head again.

"You can't what?" Spidey asked, before cocking his head, contemplating him. After a few seconds, Spidey spoke up. "I don't think you really want to do this, do you?" he observed, thoughtfully, before perking up. "It's not too late; just give me the gun and-"

"No! No, you don't understand! You don't understand; you must leave," was the only reply he got, and suddenly, the gun was being held shakily towards him. Spidey straightened up, stiffening.

"Sir?" Spidey asked, worried.

The man just started muttering to himself again, before speaking up. "Leave. Please!" he said - begged, re-cocking the gun and pointing it at him.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Spidey said firmly, and the man's face scrunched up in pain, before he lowered the gun.

"No, no Spidey, no...no you weren't supposed to be here, you weren't..."

"Why wasn't I supposed to be here?" Spidey asked carefully, stepping closer. The timer was getting lower.

"I-I didn't want to hurt you, you're not supposed to get hurt. You do good - you do good, you help people, you're not like them..."

"What do you mean 'I'm not like them'?" he asked. "I'm a person; I live here in this city; I've got a job; I do normal stuff; I have a life; and I have problems. Whatever's happened to you, it's not these people's fault. It's not their fault," he repeated, shaking his head for emphasis. "These people don't deserve to die any more than you do, ok? Look at them. Look at them!" And the man looked up. "Do you really want to cause them harm? These people have families, loved ones that will miss them. Think about what you're doing. Come on, _turn_ the _bomb,_ off," Spidey practically panted, emphasising his words.

The man seemed taken aback, Spidey's speech only seeming to confuse him further. "I can't, I can't turn it off. It's too late, it's unstoppable. Now get out of here. Get out!" he said, shooing at him again, Spidey's speech obviously not getting through.

Spidey considered the situation for a second, judging the risk, before suddenly moving forward. He grabbed at the bomb, and stared at the time metre – it read one minute. Without hesitating, he slipped his hands under the band, and prepared to rip the entire thing from the man's body.

"NO! Get away Spidey! It's too dangerous for you to be here. Stay away!" the man unexpectedly protested, sounding aggressive and trying to push him off.

"No I'm not leaving!" He looked up. "There are people in danger and therefore it's my job to protect them. So of course I'm going to be here! I help people, like you said. I help people, that's what I do! You should have thought about that earlier if you didn't want to 'hurt' me so much," Spidey gasped, surprising himself at his sudden show of anger, before ripping the bomb off, fully intact- ignoring the man's startled expression, and quickly began examining its workings.

"Everyone get out of here!" he yelled at the few people still hanging around, who fled at his words, before with one quick yank, he ripped the back of the bomb off.

Crouching down he stared at its complex innards, stomach sinking as he realised he didn't recognise a thing.

The cause of this whole problem walked over cautiously, and the man peered inside his own deadly weapon curiously. "See, I told you it was unstoppable," he said, almost proudly.

Ignoring his sick comment, Spidey sucked in a breath, and with seconds to spare, shoved his hand inside the bomb - clutching everything he could get his fingers round. Clenching his teeth, he summoned all his strength, and with spider-sense guiding him, ripped the bomb apart. Sparks of electricity fizzled into his hand, causing him to briefly yell out in pain, before his spider-sense went silent - the bomb having shut down.

Spidey dropped the pieces now in his hand to the ground, and panted, the built up anxiety from the last few minutes slowly leaving his body, as he collapsed to his knees, the carcass of the would-be-bomb scattered around his form: the very device that but seconds ago, could have caused the deaths of who knows how many innocent people.

He hissed, flexing his sore hand, and cradled it to his chest, before jumping - as suddenly there was a pair of hands on his back.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" the man said in extreme concern, face screwed up in distress.

Spidey cracked. He stood up abruptly and shoved him off of him, pushing his arms away from his shoulders. "Get off me," he said, voice surprisingly venomous. "I am no more important than any _one_ of those people that you were about to kill. You have _no right_ to be concerned for me over them. No right!" he yelled furiously, before turning around, his back facing the man, chest rising and falling with anger.

After a few seconds of simmering, he turned back around again. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?!" he screamed.

The man stared, but seemed unfazed. "People hurt me, they hated me. It's all their fault, they deserve it. They ruined my life, so I got back at them, and I must punish them!" he looked at the ground, "They all deserve to die!" he announced angrily, speech half deranged and muttered.

"No! Look at me, look at me!" Spidey said, striding forward and grabbing the man's chin when he continued to stare at the ground.

"Alright, if you think so much of me then listen. Listen!" he said again, when the man refused to look into his large bug eyes. "I help people, ok? I help people, not because they're good or because they deserve it, but because it's the right thing to do. I don't decide who's not worth living; I don't decide who's got a good heart or not. All I care about is that they are alive, and in danger, and that they may not be in a few seconds if I don't do something about it. Good or not, it's not my place to decide whether they're worthy of living. Villain or not, I don't want them to die. I never wish death on anyone," he yelled, before continuing -

" This city's inhabitants have hated me, outcast me, thrown insults at me, blamed me for murder, ridiculed me for helping someone, even thrown _trash_ at me after stopping a catastrophe, and yet, I still save them, I still care about them despite their lack of thanks, despite their cruelty, because that's what I do. We shouldn't hate people for our problems; blame them for the wrong in our lives, or even for the wrongdoings of another person. You should just take it on the cheek and move forward, even just for yourself. There is no point in holding grudges or keeping things bottled up, ok?" Spidey paused, gasping for breath. "You could have just killed many innocent people here today, just because of your own personal problems: and that, if you hadn't died, you would have had to live with for the rest of your life. Is that what you really want?" he finished.

The entire street seemed to pause in awe for a second, until the man slowly shook his head, form deflating, and a look of horrified guilt crossing his face.

"You understand?" Spidey asked again, clapping a hand on the man's shoulder. He nodded again, seeming to snap out of his craze and consider things for a moment, and finally looked up into Spidey's eyes by his own will.

"You're right," he said, before looking out over the street. "You're right," he said again, before the forgotten gun slipped from his hand, and dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry." The apology was all he seemed to be able to give to the few people appearing around the edges of the street, watching on in wonder.

"It's ok, you did good," Spidey encouraged, lenses close to his face as he nodded slightly, showing his approval, before suddenly there was the slow sound of clapping. Gradually, it increased with more people, who started praising them both for the outcome, many holding out phones and cameras as they filmed the exchange, growing as more and more joined in.

Slowly, Spidey looked around the crowd, taking in all the on-lookers, before casually bending down, picking up the gun, and snapping it clean in half.

* * *

A little while later, the scene was filled with police, going over the area and examining the damage to the buildings and glass from the gunshots. Several ambulances were treating people for shock from the incident, covering them with blankets while they sat on stretchers. On one such stretcher was the bomber, (whose name Spidey now knew was Daniel), who was continuing to look incredibly guilty and had been weeping for quite some time after the initial event. Now, he sat silently, the policeman already having had a long, strict talk to him, before they left him momentarily with the paramedics, to have him checked over and assessed for any obvious physical/mental issues, or alcohol and drug intoxication. None of that was really Spidey's business, but looking at him now and how messed up he looked, he decided to drop down and have a chat.

Spidey had been waiting up on the side of a building since he first heard the sirens in the distance, and had kept an eye out while the police arrived and the professionals came on the scene. They knew he was there, but didn't need to communicate with him – the whole of New York had seen it all on video. There was no more he needed to say.

He landed down on the grey asphalt next to the stretcher, letting go of his web, and silently sat next to Daniel. Already several heads turned his way at his presence, but Daniel just kept his chin tucked down towards his chest.

Spidey sat in silence for a second, mulling things over in his head, before he let out a big sigh, and turned to address his company.

"You know, it's New Year's Day today, the start of a whole new year, and, instead of what you were planning on doing for it, how about you start afresh?" he said kindly.

Daniel sighed dejectedly, before explaining, "The police are sending me to a mental facility, where they are going to get me help," he said, the words coming out of his mouth almost as if he didn't want them to, as if he didn't want anyone to know.

Spidey took a deep breath. "That's alright; that's good, you can still turn over a leaf there, that's what those places are for. It doesn't matter if you're in a mental facility, what matters is that you're going to be ok now, and the same things that bothered you before are not going to be able to do so anymore, because now you're free. They're not allowed to. Now you have the chance to do better, and overcome what was stopping you from being the best man you could be before. You know the right way of doing things now, and I'm sure you'll do great." He once again placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. "I believe in you, ok? I believe in you." And for a splitting moment there, Spidey could swear he saw a small smile tug at the withered man's lips.

Spidey leaned back slightly as a medic moved forward; shifting so they could access their patient. "I have to go now, but if you should ever need me, I'm right here in the city, remember that," he said, voice warm. "Besides, I'd better leave these medics to it, before they chase me away with one of their scary needles; wouldn't want to get between a nurse and their patient. Happy New Year!" he said, sense of humour leaking through, before he shot a web, and swung away, eager to get back to a no-doubt worried Gwen.

* * *

 **Well, so this is my first story of the year HOORAY! And before I go I must tell you of the funny circumstance in which it was completed :P So, I'd just finished the very last sentence after a lot of hard work and effort, and sighed with relief (you know, like you do), and casually rested back in my chair. Next, I noticed something was not quite right, and the laptop started looking further and further away. It was like slow motion, the seat started leaning backwards while I was attempting to balance it. My eyes widened into probably what was a look of startled shock, and I slowly went over until my butt hit the floor with a bang. Then, I just sat there, with what I'm sure was a look of both an alarmed but calm expression on my face. My mum rushed in panicking, wondering what had happened and just saw me there motionless. Then I told her what had occurred and we burst into hysterics. Possibly the most hilarious thing about it was that I hadn't made a single noise. It's been the joke of the household ever since. I think I need to invest in a new chair. Some way to finish a story :P**

 **Anyway, I will see ya when I see ya (salutes) :)**

 **Ps, with the chair, that has never happened before :P**


	19. Lyla

**Hello :) So it was my birthday just over a week ago, which means I'm another year older (noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!) Haha. But anyway, here is yet another story for you :) I hope you like it! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man.**

* * *

"I can't see her!"

"Where is she?"

"Down in the curve!"

"Meow!"

"Lyla!" a teenage girl yelled from where she and a few other people were crowded around what appeared to be a drain pipe.

"I'm sorry sweetie; she's too far down, and it's thick concrete. I can't reach her," a gruff man said from next to her position on the ground, wiping his brow.

"What!? Are you sure? Is there nothing you can do!?" the girl screamed back almost in hysterics, tears streaming down her face.

"No, I'm sorry love. Not me," he replied, seeming to be at a loss.

The girl wiped her brown fringe out of her eyes, looking around desperately for anyone who could help, breathing heightened. "There has to be something we can do!" she yelled.

"Cassie! Cassie, I found Spider-Man!"

Cassie spun around, to spot her brother running through the street behind them waving his hands around, and her breath hitched in her throat as she glimpsed a red and blue form trailing quickly behind him.

"What? What! How the hell did you?"

"I went looking round the streets. He always passes by this area around this time of day, and I found him dealing with some muggers in an alley," her brother gave as explanation, answering the man's question.

Cassie just stared at him, mouth slightly agape, shocked that her brother had gone running off to find Spider-Man for her. That must've taken some guts.

"Muggers? Here? So close to home!" the man screeched in alarm, before the next thing they knew the great Spider-Man himself was crouched before them, right where they were all huddled around the drain.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" he asked, surveying the scene with one gloved hand on the ground while the other rested over his knee. Lyla seemed to choose that moment to meow, and his head snapped down towards the drain pipe.

"Umm," Cassie spoke up, and found herself staring into Spidey's expectant lenses, "my-my cat, she's stuck down the pipe, and we can't get her out," she said bravely, trying not to shake.

"Yeah, I see. How long's she been down there?" he asked kindly with a hint of concern, and hopped over towards the pipe like a frog to get a better look. Cassie was surprised at how much he was accepting of the situation, and that he wasn't being harsh or annoyed with them for taking up his time. She respected that.

"Umm, about a week. We noticed her missing last Thursday," she provided, and she heard him curse under his breath, looking over the area around the pipe. "We heard the meowing when we walked passed this morning –we live just down the block. So we called our neighbour Mark here over to help, but he couldn't do anything."

"It's several metres straight down, surrounded by solid concrete," Mark filled in, looking on in curiosity.

"Can you help her?" Cassie asked finally, heart in her throat.

Spidey paused from his frantic scan of the area and looked up at her. "I'll do my best," he said sincerely, before looking down and taking a deep breath. "Alright everybody, I suggest you move back. This is not going to be easy," he said, and gripped the concrete closing in around the tip of the pipe with his fingers.

Everyone gasped the minute they realised what he was going to do and scrambled out of the way just as he ripped a chunk of concrete from the sidewalk, bits flying everywhere. He dumped the clot on the ground, looking disappointed at how small a piece it was, and determinedly gripped the concrete again.

This went on for quite a few minutes, Cassie gritting her teeth every time he pulled away a new piece, before he backed away, panting.

Lyla let out a distressed wail, and Cassie immediately grabbed her small torch and moved forward, shining it down the hole. "It's alright Lyla, we'll get you out soon," she tried to comfort, and felt a pang of sorrow in her chest at the obvious distress all the noise was causing the kitten, as she continued to wail, her little, frightened and dirty face just visible.

"Is she alright?" a voice suddenly said in her ear, and Cassie jumped back, startled, as she looked behind her to find Spidey shuffling back from where he'd been, trying to look over her shoulder.

"Sorry," he apologised, looking guilty for startling her and fiddling awkwardly with his Spidey boots.

"No, it's alright, it's just, you're Spider-Man," she said, as if that answered everything.

He just cocked his head to the side, looking confused. "Yeah?" he said, "I don't bite you know, no matter what the news says."

Cassie just smiled at his casualness and shook her head, as Mark laughed to himself along with her brother at Spidey's apparent obliviousness to how people might respond to him being so near to them.

"Don't worry, I've had tons of different reactions from people when they see me, so many I couldn't count, and that was the least of the most concerning. I was just teasing yah," Spidey said lightly, all seriousness momentarily gone, replaced by the jokiness in his voice. Cassie laughed and was about to say something about his wacky character before he was already leaning forward and tugging at the concrete again at the sound of the cat's screams, all humour gone.

* * *

Spidey got straight back into digging when he heard the meows again, the distress he could sense in them causing a painful twang in his heart.

He grabbed the concrete and grunted as it began to hurt his hands, chucking another piece away as he scrambled to get down into the ground, ripping the asphalt with his gloved fingers. These people had asked for his help, going to a lot of effort in doing so, and he saw the way the pain shone in that girl's eyes. He was going to save that kitten, even if it hurt him.

Spidey groaned as he continued further, ripping and ripping into solid concrete, using every bit of strength he had.

"Here, let me get that out of the way," the man, Mark, suddenly said from next to him. He started to take the pieces of broken concrete from Spidey's hands, instead of him chucking them. This made a bit of relief flood Spidey's being, and he abandoned thinking about where he was putting the waste, and instead focused on grabbing the next bit of concrete, at the cat's next cries. There was a mighty crack, and everyone gasped as he used every last bit of his strength and pulled, literally ripping a huge chunk away. He broke off the now exposed top of the pipe so they could get further down, and fell back onto his haunches, digging them into the ground as he panted for breath.

"Hey, do you need some water?" said the girl's mother, who had come up closer, and handed him a clear bottle.

Spidey sighed dramatically. "Oh yes thanks," he said, before grabbing the bottle, and after lifting his mask a bit, took several large gulps thirstily.

The girl was soon back peering over the hole while he took a break, shining the torch down it and calling her name. He had to hurry. He didn't want the kitten to be trapped down there any longer; he didn't want to risk it. The pain and fear in its large round eyes was getting to him, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to stand it anymore without getting emotional. And the thought of it- of it dying before he got there, and him failing, was just too much to bear.

He swallowed the invisible lump in his throat, before moving forward, and gently pushed the girl out of the way. Lying on his belly on the ground, he tried to reach his arm down the pipe, seeing if he could make contact with the kitten through his extra flexibility. No use. He drew his hand back sadly, before manoeuvring so his feet were in front of him. Waving his hand to try and get them to move back further again, he used a different tactic, and began to kick brutally at the concrete through the hole he'd created. It cracked under the force, and he moved back again, summoning his spider strength, and slammed his heel into the asphalt.

It cracked, and the more he kicked, the more it began to shatter and crumble away. He was making progress. Realising it was working he began to get more aggressive - perhaps too aggressive.

He was startled out of his haze when the girl screamed, 'stop'! He did, bug eyes searching her out with concern, and she ran to the pipe, worriedly looking down into its depths.

Cautiously, Spidey leaned in over her, and guilt settled in his stomach when he saw the poor kitten, now covered in a layer of dust and debris. But realising something else, he moved round the girl, and removed a big chunk of pipe – he'd actually made it a long way down. Once again putting his arm down the hole, he reached and reached, and just when he thought he wasn't going to make it, his fingers came into contact with something small and fluffy.

The kitten meowed louder at his gentle touch, and he couldn't help but turn his head up to the others who were watching curiously, huge grin hidden behind the mask, only then to realise that they couldn't see it. Seeing the concerned look on the girl's face though, he made a decision, and moved his other hand up, pulling away the fabric to reveal his wide grin.

"I can feel her," he said, and their faces instantly slackened in relief. "But I need to get down a bit further," he added, before pulling the mask back into place and shifting position so he was once again using his hands (with the added extra of his feet) to push and break away the concrete.

The tension seemed to build in worried eagerness as he got nearer - every handful of concrete just that little bit closer to a rescue, and to Lyla's freedom.

Taking another few gulps of water, Spidey leant back in to where he was now crouched in the hole, scooping up asphalt. They'd drawn a crowd. Slowly, people had begun to curiously surround the working hero, wondering what was going on. They'd learnt of the dilemma soon enough, and had started watching attentively, some cheering him on occasionally. They'd created quite an event.

There was another cry from the cat. Spidey left the spot where he'd gone to place more gravel and raced back to comfort her, curling his fingers around her ears and patting her head, trying to soothe her and somehow let her know that she was going to be ok. In the process of doing this, he slipped his hand underneath the kitten and tried to very carefully slide her upwards, with the guidance of his spider-sense. She moved a little, but not without wailing, so he stopped. Quickly hopping up from the hole, where he'd been working silently for a few minutes, he continued on.

The people watched as he dug and dug. Closer, closer, closer.

Suddenly, something gave, and everyone was quiet for a second after the sound, trying to peek through to see what was happening.

Spidey wound his fingers around the now-mostly-free cat, and gently coaxed it to crawl out while staying still as a statue. Gradually, it moved further and further towards his form.

Everyone seemed to hold their breaths, before suddenly Spidey moved, and he emerged from the now-practically-gaping hole in the concrete bent over himself. Finally, a tiny little kitten was revealed, curled up to his chest.

Cassie screamed out in joy, and the cat meowed at her voice, before she was at Spidey's side, carefully taking the tiny cat from his hands.

Everyone gasped in astonished shock as she cradled it to her chest, tears streaming down her face, before she looked up at Spidey.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" And she was hugging him, kitten held protectively in the centre, wrapping her other arm tightly around his neck.

Spidey swallowed at the contact, before she placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"It was no problem, miss," he choked out, blushing slightly.

She pulled away, and Spidey brought his gloved hand up to scratch the kitten's head.

"Hey, you two," the girl's mother suddenly said, and they looked up, to find a camera being faced towards their heads. "I hope you don't mind Spider-Man, but is it alright if we take a photo of this?"

Spidey couldn't help but smile as his chest filled with warmth. He didn't answer, as he wrapped one arm around Cassie's shoulders, leaning against her, with the kitten placed in the middle.

Smiling, the mother raised the camera. "Say cheese," she said, and the device went off with a flash.

* * *

The next day, the newsstands were covered with the story: a large picture of him and the young teenage girl with the newly rescued Lyla on the front of every paper. The story was on the tip of everyone's tongues, spoken on the subways and down the streets. But six simple words were at the centre of it all; their hero had done it again.

* * *

 **(brushes hands off), well, there you go :) Another story in this ever growing collection :D Also, now is the best time to tell me what you'd like to see this year, as I've got several stories in mind, but I haven't fully planned out what I'm going to write yet, so, send me your requests :) Oh, and I also have some completely new stories I'd like to start uploading soon. Keep an eye out ;)**

 **Have a nice day! :D**


	20. Identity Crisis

**So, I guess I should explain why I've been gone so long. There are many reasons really, but the main one is that I've started uni, studying creative writing. Yay! That was a change that came unexpectedly. Other reasons are that I've started a new story in collaboration with aloneintherain from AO3 called "The Hotline". Feel free to check that one out. If you like this series, then you should like that too :) Also, if you are not familiar with aloneintherain and love Spidey/NYC fics, then I highly recommend you check out her stories. She is seriously awesome!**

 **The last reasons are that I've been slowly editing through the earlier ones of this series, and also simply that I've had a lot on my mind. But I'm back! And I have no intention of quiting :)  
**

 **To be totally honest, I'm not that confident with this story, probably because I haven't posted any in a while, but I hope you enjoy :) This is for cornholio4, and contains action as requested by JustmeSpidey :)  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Know that feeling of deja vu, when one gets that terribly strong sense that something has already happened before? Well, that's what Peter felt now, as he sat at his desk in English class, a giant hole having just been blown in the school ceiling to reveal an enormous (man-scorpion?) standing menacingly in front of them with a look of psychotic madness in its eyes. Its tail (with a stinger on the end) was sticking up in the air, poised in an attack position behind it.

The room erupted, students screaming chaotically as they made a mad scramble for the door, and for their lives. But Peter? Peter couldn't help but sit there, completely oblivious to the panic around him, staring with his mouth wide open at the monster, a strong sense of disbelief washing over him.

' _Animals. Why is it always an animal? What is with super-villains and animals? Like seriously? I think one giant-sized lizard is one too many pets for this school, and now a scorpion? Talk about Parker luck,_ ' he thought to himself, as he continued to remain frozen in his seat. It wasn't until his spider-sense exploded in his skull that he snapped out of his little moment of shock, and he took off, narrowly missing a strike from the deadly tail. He knew he had to find a secluded place to turn into Spider-Man; he just had to find a way to do it. Luckily he'd managed to snag his backpack on his way out, or else he would have been in a pickle.

Turning his head left and right, he ran down the nearest hallway and opened the door to another classroom - slamming it shut behind him. This one was empty.

As quick as lightning, Peter swung his bag off his shoulder and dumped it on the floor, before proceeding to unzip the zipper and grab his gloves and mask. In record time, he'd ducked down close to the ground, behind the door, and was ripping his typical hoodie and shirt over his head and removing his jeans, revealing the bright red and blue of the Spider-Man costume underneath. He took off his shoes, red boots emerging from within, and pulled the gloves on his hands, attaching his web shooters with a soft whir. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the mask over his head.

Now, he was no longer ordinary Peter Parker, he was Spider-Man, donned in his famous red and blue suit.

Replacing his clothes in his backpack and shoving it out of the way, he leapt up, sticking effortlessly on the ceiling, and slowly opened the door. He peaked out.

The hallways were empty, a large trail of destruction visible in the direction where the scorpion creature had gone.

Peter silently crawled out of the room and followed the trail through the school.

There were lockers dented, holes and scrapes in walls where it looked like its tail had smashed, and the remains of what appeared to be some kind of green poison splattering the floor.

Swallowing hard, Peter continued on, until everything suddenly became eerily silent - the trail having disappeared. Cautiously, he dropped from the ceiling, landing in a smooth crouch, and stood up in the middle of the empty hall. His spider-sense was silent, but that didn't take away the feeling that something was wrong.

The rest of the students must have already cleared out by now, leaving the place quiet and almost eerie. He wondered where Gwen, Flash and the others had gone. He hadn't seen them, but he hoped they were safely with the rest of the school, wherever they had escaped to.

Moving slowly, he began scoping out the area, before suddenly, a deep, gravelly voice could be heard growling nearby.

"Come on, I know you're in here. Give me what I want and I won't kill your friends."

Peter froze, ice cold fear trickling down his spine. _'How did they know? How could they possibly know he was here? Had someone found out his identity?_ ' Questions swirled around his mind in a mad flurry, but he didn't have time to think about this now, as he prepared himself to attack.

* * *

Scorpion growled under his breath. He was getting impatient. The rest of the super-villain community were waiting on the outcome, waiting for news of his success at the mission they were recently tipped off to. He did not want to get on their bad side.

He was just looking in yet another empty classroom, when he caught a glimpse of something moving in the corner of his eye. He paused, stock still, before his big green face creased into an angry snarl, and he spun around just as a red and blue figure leapt at him from behind.

Bam! They crashed into a wall before rolling along the floor, as Scorpion wasn't expecting the brute strength Spider-Man slammed into him with when he tried to catch him in mid-air.

"Get off of me!" he yelled at the annoyance, before throwing him into the lockers, a loud bang echoing as the web-slinger hit his head.

"Whatever you want with me, let's take this outside, ok? I won't have any more innocent lives in danger," Spidey yelled, anger leaking through his voice. Scorpion just growled, and lunged his tail at Spider-Man's form.

He leapt out of the way, seconds before contact, before landing on the side of another locker and shooting web in Scorpion's face.

Scorpion growled, getting really angry now, as he hastily removed the web. "I don't have time for this!" he screamed, before punching at Spider-Man, and punching at him again. Each time the arachnid skittering out of the way seconds before impact.

Trying for a new tactic, Spidey changed focus, and leapt for the opposite side of the wall. But Scorpion saw it coming, his tail wrapped around Spider-Man's form and slammed him against the wall, before his clawed hands snaked forward and began to wrap around the web-slinger's slender neck.

Spidey choked, and Scorpion smiled sneerily as he watched him begin to wheeze, placing more pressure on his throat, squeezing tighter. Spider-Man tried to push him away, fighting against his strength, but Scorpion could sense the fear overwhelming his victim as he was beginning to overpower him. But this was not what he came here for. Releasing his choking grip from the spider, he moved his tail, and threw him hard, causing Spider-Man to smash straight through a wall, before stalking off.

* * *

Spider-Man gasped, desperately sucking in a lung-full of air as he coughed and spluttered, sprawled out on the floor of what looked like a janitor's closet, head thrown back.

Suddenly, and unexpectedly, a shadowy figure with brown hair and concerned eyes was leaning over him, and he felt himself being lifted up into a sitting position, with one hand braced on his chest and the other his back, rubbing small circles into the material.

"Spider-Man! Are you alright?" they asked, as he continued to choke, a stray gloved hand wandering up to his throat. He was bent over himself.

After a few more seconds of this, Spidey swallowed hard, before finally facing his company.

"Peachy," he croaked, "he's got... one... strong grip," he managed, before breaking into another coughing fit. Once again the hand rubbed at his back, before he finally composed himself and got a proper look at them.

He was surprised to find that it was none other than Missy Kallenback in the room with him, a fellow classmate and student at this school. He almost blurted out her name in recognition, before he stopped himself at the last minute, reminded that this was Spider-Man talking, who'd never before met her, not Peter Parker.

"Thanks," he mumbled instead, lenses looking in her eyes.

She just smiled shyly in response. There was a certain sweetness to her manner. "Will... will you be alright now?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'll be ok, nothing this spider can't handle," he said, straining slightly as he pushed himself upright. He sighed as he got to his feet, before looking down and holding out a hand to help her up, which she accepted. "I don't suppose you have any idea what's going on, though?" he asked, dejectedly. It seemed strange, but he got the impression that the Scorpion wasn't there for him after all.

"Umm, well, I might have some information on that," Missy piped up, hands wringing slightly and shoulders curled forward in nervousness. Spidey's head snapped around, large bug eyes staring deep into her soul.

* * *

"So let me get this straight, there is a twelve year old girl in this school who knows my identity, and these guys somehow found out and want to get that information out of her."

"Pretty much," Missy replied. They were sitting cross-legged on the floor, still in the janitor's closet, having spent the last few minutes discussing the situation.

"Swell," Spidey replied, holding his palm to his forehead, feeling the weight of the situation looming over him.

"I know where she's hiding. I can take you to her. Maybe we can get there before that _thing_ does."

"No. No no, that would help nothing. How about I distract big greenie, while you go get her out of here to safety? With a little luck, I should be able to take him dow-"

"But what about your identity?" Missy burst in. "She said she didn't want anyone to know she knew in case you found out and got angry. She sent me to go get help, but-but she was very nervous about the possibility of me actually finding _you_. She was scared. You're, you're not upset?..."

Spidey stared at her, dumbfounded. "I'm not angry. No, I'm _worried._ My identity is dangerous knowledge. She should have come to me sooner. Maybe-maybe then I could have protected her, and this would never have happened..." He suddenly became downcast, trailing off.

Missy observed the hero in front of her, as he suddenly seemed sad, troubled, his shoulders having sagged a bit, head drooping towards the ground. Her blue eyes filled with sympathy at the invisible adversaries that seemed to shadow the arachnid, and she laid a reassuring hand on his knee. He looked up.

"Look, it's not too late. You can help her, alright? You're the Amazing Spider-Man; it's what you do. Whatever's troubling you, I'm sure you can overcome it."

Spidey smiled, her words sparking a little warmth in his heart, and with new determination, gave her hand a light squeeze. "Alright, we deal with the monster first, and then we meet out the back of the school later so I can discuss this with her in private. Follow me for now, but the _minute_ I give the signal you run and get her out, okay?"

She nodded her head timidly, taking in a deep breath, trying to muster up some hidden bravery. "Okay."

"Right." He moved over towards the hole he'd smashed through in the door, before poking his head out. Looking back at her, he signalled for her to come forward before cautiously stepping out of their temporary hiding place.

Walking ahead, he kept his spider-sense alert as Missy nervously fell into step with him, and they were soon moving through the school halls. Every now and then she'd slow as he'd pause before a corner, putting his hand out for her to stay back before he judged it safe, and then they'd move again. Before long, the silence became unnerving, so she took the opportunity to speak to the superhero currently present with her, as she directed him nearer to her friend's hiding place.

"So... Spider-Man, huh?"

"The one and only," he replied.

"Do you always say that?"

"Yup."

Missy paused. "Huh, well...it's great to finally meet you, as in, I've heard a lot about you on the news and stuff, but I've never seen you in person, so umm, yeah, it's ah, it's pretty cool."

Spidey looked back at her briefly, a small smile hidden behind his mask - amused at her little conversation - before he stretched up and proceeded to unblock a doorway of its recently smashed up door. "It's nice to meet you too."

"So, umm, what keeps bringing you to Midtown High?"

"Well, your school _is_ being attacked by a giant scorpion."

"Right," Missy replied, before taking a moment to silently watch him. "You know, you remind me of a boy in our class, Peter Parker. Pulled a mighty stunt and broke the basketball backboard a while ago; did some crazy things." She looked curious.

Spidey paused, mid-step, and she nearly slammed into his back, before he just turned around and looked at her for a second, shifting his head slightly as if in thought, then randomly continued on again.

Missy gave him a strange, taken aback look, before suddenly snapping out of the moment and shuffling up after him, a look of confusion on her face. "Not, not that you're him or anything, but he's-he's nice, stood up for me being bullied by the school jock. You have similar mannerisms."

"Shush, he's near." Spidey suddenly interrupted, bringing her from her rambling as he quickly went stiff, holding a hand up. Missy immediately fell quiet as the seriousness of the situation hit her like a wave, and she took a deep breath.

"Hey, it's alright, we'll be fine. Just stick to the plan, yeah?" Spidey unexpectedly took a softer turn, noticing her fear, and he came right up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, lenses looking deep into her face reassuringly. "I can handle this."

"Yeah, ok." She nodded, composing herself. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, before he turned back towards the room ahead of them.

Adjusting her glasses nervously, she looked up as he turned around briefly and gave her a nod, before she slowly sneaked off in the direction of her friend. If the creature was nearby, then it had gotten worryingly close to her hiding place, and its target. She hoped Spidey had this under control.

* * *

 _'Ok, breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out. You can do this, Spidey. It's just like any other superhuman battle, only there's a young girl at stake - and your identity. Just another day in the life of Peter Parker,'_ Spidey thought to himself, but he didn't have time for doubts, as he once again readied himself for battle.

"So, what's with the animal theme? Are you looking for the zoo? Cause if so, I think you missed it by several blocks. Or do you just like dressing up like an animal and making a fool of yourself?"

The Scorpion-man was instantly angered, perhaps more so than their first encounter, and immediately turned around with quickened anger, striking with his tail where Spider-Man had been but seconds before.

"Oh! oh! I've got it! Maybe you're an escapee from the circus! Did you get fired and decide to trash the local school for revenge?

Wack! The tail shredded through empty air again as the target was once again miraculously out of sight.

"Hmm, or maybe you're just an experiment gone wrong. Did you really think it was a good idea to turn yourself into a giant scorpion? I mean, how are you ever going to go to the supermarket again, without everyone running for the hills?"

That seemed to strike a nerve, as Scorpion turned his head really slowly in the direction of his voice, to face where Spidey was hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"Ohhhh..."

Scorpion lunged at him, hands coming inches from snatching him out of the air. Spidey somersaulted out of the way, before shooting a quick web to the floor.

What followed was a mad match of catch the jumping spider.

Spidey leapt all round the corridor, from the walls to the floor to the ceiling, as Scorpion turned out to be surprisingly fast, and continued to try and snatch up the little hero - the pair moving at blinding and insane speeds. But it didn't take long until Spidey finally got an opening. Before Scorpion knew what was happening, he was being weaved into a giant web. Spidey spun around him as fast as possible, body circling the enemy's form as he tried to cocoon him like a fly. But he wasn't quite fast enough.

His spider-sense exploded, and a hand shot out before he could stop it and swatted him down the hall, where he went tumbling and scrambling until he hit the end of the corridor.

' _Ugh, wasn't expecting that,'_ Spidey thought, moaning - his head spinning. ' _He's, he's nearly as fast as me. If-if not faster!'_

"What's the matter, bug? Didn't you know Scorpions are a natural predator of spiders? This time, _I'm_ the predator, and you're the prey. How does it feel, _hero_?" He let out a bellowing laugh.

Spidey stared. _'Ok, he was better when he was running around trashing the place looking for a student hiding invaluable information, but now he's put an X on my chest, too? Oh mother, things just got difficult,' h_ e thought.

Scorpion seemed to smirk at his speechless prey, before he came up close to him, and coiled his tail - ready to strike with deadly intent.

Spidey placed his hands behind his head on the wall and back flipped up just moments before it made contact, shaking the cobwebs from his head.

"Awww now now, that's just rude. I'm too cute to die. Can't we be buddies?" He held up his hand as if for a 'high five', but instead, received a deadly stinger in the face. "Guess not."

Spidey was panicking on the inside; he hadn't expected such a fully-fledged fight. He was more worried about the girl and his secret identity. He didn't even _think_ of how ruthless his enemy could turn out to be. He'd underestimated him.

"Rrrrr, you will not get in my way! You _weren't_ even supposed to _be_ here. But oh well, what's a secret identity worth when you can kill the real thing?"

Spidey's eyes seemed to widen if at all possible as he saw the villain coming for him, and his legs coiled in slow motion as he was about to leap away - but scorpion was fast. He saw what was about to happen, and stretched his arm out in front of Spidey's incoming direction.

"Oompf" Spidey mumbled, as he was hit square in the chest and crashed back into the wall, without having a moment to think. The wideness of Spidey's lenses expressed his fear perfectly as the stinger went straight for his neck. Acting on pure instinct, spider-sense revealing everything around him in slow motion, he reached out his hands and grabbed the stinger as it came for him, using its momentum to push off it and flip himself over the top of the creature. Spidey looked back, bug eyes focusing as he spun himself in mid-air, before he grabbed hold of the other end of the tail, and pulled.

He slammed into the ground, sparks emerging from the base of the tail, before Scorpion relented when he'd realised what had happened. The tip flipped back towards him, and the thick part of the tail crashed down and began to drag him heavily against the ground, pinning him to the floor.

The wind was knocked out of him.

Moving as quickly as he could at the very last minute, Spidey wound himself around the tail, and, using his legs, took advantage of the previous damage he'd made to the device, and pulled with all his might.

The reflection of the stinger shone in his lenses as he tugged, further sparks beginning to fly from the already ripped base.

Suddenly, it came free with a whizz of electricity, just as the tail came down on him, the damage causing it to lose aim at the last second. It hit the ground just a hairsbreadth from his chest.

Spidey gasped at the close call, taking in large lung-fulls of oxygen, chest heaving with the effort as he just laid there, adrenalin draining from his system.

"Arrrggggg!" Scorpion screamed in outrage, causing him to look over at him. "Why you little...! I will rip you to pieces! I will destroy your every last molecule ahughhhgggg..."

Spidey slammed him with web, pinning him to the wall, before tying him up from head to toe in an intricate web, leaving mouth and eye holes for him to see and breath.

"Well, how does it feel to be the prey eh, Scorpy? Have fun in jail!" and then he was off, leaving him with a belittling pat on the head.

All that could be heard were the Scorpion's incoherent sounds floating down the corridors.

* * *

"Phew, that was close," Spidey said to himself, as he leant against a wall, taking a breather.

"Spider-Man!"

"Gwen?" Spidey looked up, only to see Gwen running towards him, looking rushed and panicked. "Peter, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, no I'm fine. I'm ok, Gwen," he pressed, as she began to comb her hands over his body, checking for wounds.

"Spidey!" another voice then cut in and none other than Missy came running forward, a young girl in tow. "Did you stop it? Is it gone?"

"Yes, it's gone. All dealt with, as promised."

Gwen gave Missy a long, contemplative look, before the girl smiled, and her face seemed to relax a little.

Spidey suddenly moved forward, and leant down in front of the new addition holding Missy's hand. "Now, you must be the one my good friend Missy here's been talking about. How about we go outside and we can discuss our little dilemma one on one, yeah?"

The root of all this mayhem took a deep breath, before nodding her head.

"Alright, now I'm just gonna go take care of this. Will you girls be ok?" Spidey asked.

"Yeah, yeah we'll be fine. Thanks for helping today, Spidey," Gwen said, giving him a smile, and looking deep into his mask, many hidden emotions passing through her expression.

"It was no problem," he reassured her, with a slight nod, hoping their company wouldn't pick up on their unspoken exchange. "Just another day for your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man," he joked, before turning to the girl, and holding his hand out. "Say, would you like a ride, ma'am?"

The girl looked over at Missy, who gave her a quiet, reassuring nod, before she hopped onto Spidey's back, being hoisted up so she was comfortable, and then they were off, Spidey climbing along the wall.

"So, you like Spider-Man, huh?" Gwen said, when all was quiet.

"Yeah," Missy replied shyly.

"Good choice." She smiled. "I'm Gwen."

"Missy, Missy Kallenback."

"Nice to meet you, Missy," Gwen greeted, as they shook hands. "What classes do you have? We could meet before..."

And so that day a new friendship was born.

* * *

Spidey landed in a back alley behind the school and set the girl down. She was wearing a long sleeved jumper and sweatpants, and looked nervous - anxious as to what he might say.

The first thing he did was take his mask off.

The girl's eyes widened, alarmed, and she stared at him with shock.

He turned to her. "Now, the first thing I want to say is I'm not mad at you," he said.

"You're not?" she questioned, surprised.

"No," he reassured, "but one thing I would like to know is how you came to know it?" He gazed at her with his deep brown eyes, both with concern and curiosity, and she looked down with a sigh.

"It was several weeks ago. I was walking home from school, when some friends started bullying me. I ran into an alley, and they tried to chase me, but then you showed up and said something from above, and they all looked up, running away. You-you came looking for me, but I was too scared, I didn't want to be found crying, so I hid. A few minutes later, you let out a sigh, and took your mask off, putting clothes on from a backpack you fetched from up on the wall. After that, you just... walked away."

"Ohhh, I remember that!" Peter groaned, as he face-palmed. "That was so careless of me. Shizels. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Man that was so stupid. Urgh!"

"N-no, it's ok, it's really m-my fault, cause I went and told people that I'd seen your face, and that you protected me - including the bullies, in the hope that they'd stop hurting me. And I don't know how, but...it's all my fault, it's all my fault!" She started bawling, hiding her eyes behind her jumper sleeves.

"Hey, it's alright, it's alright, you couldn't have known." He stepped forward hesitantly, and wrapped her in a warm hug, "It's gonna be fine."

"But now you're in danger," she sobbed, "and your identity's at risk. And it's all because of me. Before...I didn't know who you were, and with all the stuff 'The Daily Bugle' says, bu-but now -"

"Come on, I'm tough. You don't need to worry about me. And no one's going to find out my identity, ok? Cause no one but you and my friend, Gwen, knows. And you can keep a secret, yeah?"

"Yeah..."

"Well then," he pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Everything's gonna be fine." He smiled. "Anyway, you'd better go back to the rest of your class before anyone finds out your missing. I'll be right behind you in a minute."

"Ok," she said.

"Ok."

"Thanks...?"

"Peter."

"Thanks, Peter." She smiled, and he grinned kindly.

As Peter made it back to his class, he smiled at Gwen, silently telling her that everything was alright.

* * *

A couple of days later at school, Annabel sat eating her lunch quietly. Taking a bite out of her sandwich, she gazed over the courtyard. As she did so, she was greeted by the sight of a fluffy haired teenage boy wearing casual clothes, looking for all the world like an ordinary seventeen to eighteen year old, walking along the path. As she watched, he looked up and caught her eye, giving her a wide, friendly smile, before disappearing from sight. Annabel knew she had nothing more to worry about after that moment, and continued to eat her meal, much more relaxed than she had been over the past week.

* * *

 **I love the idea that Peter stops to help lots of kids being bullied like he did with that kid in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It's just a really nice idea :)**

 **So, well, I'll get the next one out asap (just because I haven't been uploading, doesn't mean I've stopped writing - I have a bunch of these sitting on my computer waiting to be edited) but updates may not be as fast now as they were last year because I'm doing uni, and have to balance my time, but I WILL continue, cause I really do love this. And if I ever DO stop this, it'll be because I've finished it (that's to reasure anyone out there who was worried.) :)  
**

 **Anyway, I'll see ya when I see ya :) Have a good day! And thanks everyone for all the awesome requests! :D  
**

 **Coming soon: Midnight Rescue :)**


	21. Midnight Rescue

**Hey :) I just thought I'd drop by with another story for you :) Happy reading :)**

 **WARNING: This one does contain some descriptions of injury/blood, just thought I'd mention it in case some readers are sensitive to that sort of thing :)**

 **ENJOY! :D**

* * *

Lightning flashed through the clear, square window and Oliver flinched under his blankey as the thunder vibrated around his dark room. It had been storming for hours, but he didn't want to go to sleep, didn't want to shut his eyes because he was scared, and he was too afraid to admit that he was scared. So he stayed there, form shaking and fingers curled up tightly in the comforter. His parents were only a few doors down the hallway, just outside his room - so close. But he didn't want to run to them, running would make him weak, weak like all the boys in class said he was.

He whimpered as another flash boomed through the room, and pulled the blanket over his head in an attempt to protect himself. His breath came in panicked gasps in the darkness of his bed, and he tried to calm down, tried to tell himself that it was alright, when he heard it.

Hesitantly, Oliver lifted the blanket from his head and his wide, hazel eyes peered over the top, listening. There was a crash and a bang, before he heard the sound of a scream - the sound of someone in pain. Bravely pushing himself up, he pulled back the comforter and slowly planted his feet on the ground, leaving the fabric (with an image of two large bug eyes and a red, webbed mask on it) resting in a crumpled mess on his bed. He hesitantly moved towards the window.

Thunder cracked again and he flinched in fright, but over the sound of the rain, over the sound of the thunder, he could sense it - conflict.

Not being entirely sure what came over him, Oliver quietly lifted his window (careful not to make a sound) and looked out into the gloomy street. Immediately he couldn't see anything, until his gaze shifted down towards the small alley just near his house. A flash of red and blue whizzed momentarily into view, before several guys wearing black appeared a second later. They were fighting.

Oliver's eyes grew wide and curious, and he looked on intently, trying to catch another glimpse of the action, confused as to what was going on.

The sounds of a struggle continued, increasing as the minutes went by, before there were several final yells, and everything went quiet. Suddenly, a shifty looking man ran out of the alley, bent over himself protectively - something clutched to his chest. He looked this way and that, before taking off in the other direction, disappearing into the night.

Oliver bit his lip in uneasiness, before waiting at the window for a little longer. When no further activity came from the alley, he became intent with wonder.

Looking back into his small, safe room, he considered things for a moment, a flicker of doubt forming in his mind, before he then made a very determined and arguably unwise decision.

His window wasn't far from the ground - he lived in a relatively suburban area, and the house was rather low - so (sneaky as a cat) he slipped out of the window, and jumped down onto the grass.

Instantly, he was met with the torrential downpour of the rain, wind whipping around him. He pulled his arms in closer to his torso in an attempt to fend off the chill, before silently creeping across the lawn of the neighbouring house, slowing as he came to the end. He paused at the corner of the building that opened into the alley, and nervously peered into its dark depths.

He was met with at least a dozen masses lined along the walls and floors of the inky passageway, all encased in large, shimmering cocoons. Any other child by now would have undoubtedly run and fled at the sight before them - weapons and sinister objects tied up all over the place - but no, not this little boy, as something, _something_ in his being edged him to move on. So he did.

Judging each footfall carefully, Oliver began to venture further into the alley, breath barely audible over the rumbling of thunder and the pounding of rain, as he eased past tied up masses containing criminals.

Oliver gulped at the sight of them all, before something thin and shimmery caught his attention between his feet. Bending down, Oliver tentatively touched the silky strand that was of the same substance the criminals were tied up in, before lifting it up to his face. Webbing.

It was slightly sticky in his fingers, and the end swayed loosely in the breeze. Oliver found himself feeling not disgusted, but slightly curious by the stuff, as he knew it was something that came from one particular hero - a hero that meant a lot to this specific little boy.

Taken over by his fascination with the web, Oliver suddenly yelped and jumped out of his skin as the lightning flashed and his foot came into contact with something else in there with him, lying on the alley floor.

Oliver started panting, terror rising up in his chest, before it flashed again and he caught a slight glimpse of red and blue. The boy froze, confused by this development, and with curiosity once again nibbling to the surface, took a step forward.

Each foot slowly being placed before the other, he crept closer to where the glimpse of colour had emerged from, until he was soon standing over a much darker spot in the shadows of the alley floor.

Rain splattered down on the ground from the neighbouring building's awnings, and the sky lit up, giving Oliver a full view of what lay before him. Oliver wailed, completely forgetting about creeping and being quiet, as he practically threw himself at the form, little strand of web forgotten, as it slowly floated to the ground.

In horror, Oliver looked down at the slight glow of the large, white bug eyes just visible in the darkness, as he grabbed the motionless form of Spider-Man. His eyes widened to the size of saucers as his small fingers gripped the spandex material underneath them, bunching it up, before he started to speak.

"Spider-Man?" he asked, voice tentative and questioning, as he gave his hero a small shake. "Spidey?" he asked again, when he received no response, and lifted the hero up slightly from the ground, shaking him furiously. "Spidey!"

Spidey's head just lolled back as his body sagged before falling limply onto the ground when he again made contact with it, eerily still.

"Wake up, wake up!" Oliver screamed, panicked, as he madly shook him again, slapping his face on either side: trying desperately to coax the hero to move.

"Wake up!" his terrified voice cracked, choked tears making their way out of his eyes, as his hands grasped at the fallen hero, clasping the costume's material on his neck. Oliver screamed, broken, as his clenching fingers then moved, and grabbed at Spidey's loose hand, making an attempt to pull at the hero, causing him to slide slightly along the ground. But he made no move to get up.

Oliver wailed, distress leaking through his little voice, as he went back to Spidey's body, hands resting against the red and blue belly.

That's when he noticed it. His hero's tummy was too wet, and when he pulled one of his hands away, it was smeared with red. Spidey was hurt; his hero was hurt.

He sat frozen, staring at his hand, small sobs choking through his form, before he scrambled back up to Spidey's head, and grasped at him. His hero just shook limply, lying back in his hands, neck arched and open, vulnerable throat exposed.

Oliver shivered. He couldn't leave his hero like this, lying in the wet and cold, where anyone could hurt him. He looked up at the masses around them, and suddenly felt fear at the villains housed there, hands unconsciously curling round Spidey's neck, once again bunching the material.

Making a very, very brave decision, Oliver grabbed at Spidey's shoulders, and with one mighty heave, pulled him along the alley floor. If he left Spidey here those criminals could get him, and Oliver would never see the day when he would let his hero get hurt, especially when he could help. So, with tremendous effort, he began to pull Spidey towards the alley entrance. His arms protested, and his body tired, but he wouldn't give up. The little boy began to pull the bigger one out of the alley, and slowly towards his home. He couldn't lift him, so shifted between pulling under his arms, to dragging him by his limp hand, putting everything he had into moving his hero, inch by inch, along the ground, and towards safety.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, he reached his still-open window, and stopped, panting for breath, but he couldn't wait there. Propping Spidey against the wall, he reached up and climbed to the window, before turning around and leaning down to once again grasp Spidey under the arms, and began to heave him up.

He strained, grunting audibly, as he desperately tried with all his might to lift Spidey. Luckily for him, Spidey was slightly lighter than your average human being, and with nothing less than a miracle, Oliver somehow managed to lift him up enough to drag his upper half partly through the window. Shifting so that he was perched in the windowsill, he began pushing Spidey's body through, panting and gasping as he did. But just before he was entirely in, he stopped. He ran over to his bed and grabbed two pillows, before running back again and placing them on the ground below where Spidey's middle would land, then he tucked himself behind Spidey's head, and pulled.

Spidey's hips and legs slipped through the window in one go, and he fell softly onto the pillows, his head safely cradled by Oliver. Jumping up again, he began to pull him further into the centre of the room, and lay him there.

Running back as fast as he could, he grabbed the window, and pulled it shut.

Immediately, the room was filled with silence, with nothing being heard other than the faint patter of the slowly easing rain from outside, and Oliver's panicked breaths. They were safe now, enclosed in the boy's encased room. Nothing could get at them here. Not in _his_ space.

Quickly remembering his guest, Oliver once again grabbed the pillows from where they lay, and ran back to the hero (with them flopping all over the place) before he crashed to the ground. Tenderly, he lifted Spidey's middle and placed one under where he was hurt, stuffing it in, before he rested him back down. Then, he moved to Spidey's head, which he proceeded to pick up as he tucked the pillow under his neck, carefully resting him on it. After that, he moved to his side, and shook at the hero again - even though it was useless - his eyes pleading, voice whining; begging him to wake up.

He sat there, exhausted, not knowing what to do or completely understanding the situation. Slowly, his eyes started to become heavy, and before he knew it, his head was drooping down, until it finally came to rest on Spidey's webbed chest. His eyes slipped shut.

* * *

Oliver was suddenly awoken by a jarring sound, along with being disturbed as the thing beneath him moved, jostling him.

He was confused for a second - blinking his tired blue eyes of sleep before the memories all flooded back.

Jumping up, he looked down at Spidey's form lying on his carpeted floor, watching as his chest rose and fell unevenly, and hearing the slightly strained wheeze in his breath as he shifted uncomfortably. Whimpers of pain emerged from Spidey's throat, and he suddenly coughed harshly, a gloved hand unconsciously moving to his stomach.

Oliver swallowed, eyes full of empathy, and he moved forward, arms wrapping around his hero's neck, face buried in the curve under his chin, as he tried to comfort him, but something was wrong. Spidey felt hot, really hot. He placed a tiny hand on his hero's forehead, and could immediately feel the heat radiating off it in waves.

Feeling distressed, Oliver looked around his room, trying to come up with any idea of what might help him feel better, before he then got up, and ran over to a brown cupboard. Rummaging around for a moment, he messed with its contents, before emerging with a small plastic box with a handle.

Kneeling down beside the arachnid, he opened the lid, revealing a tiny, toy doctor's kit inside. Leaving it there, he then left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Barely minutes passed before he was creeping back in, a wet washer in hand.

Once again moving back over to Spidey, he laid it on his forehead, smoothing it down.

"There you go, Spidey. Mummy always puts a cool towel on my head when I'm sick, so maybe it will help you feel better too," he said out loud, before giving Spidey's cheek a quick kiss, and once again curling up to the hero's neck.

They stayed like this for a moment, the boy listening closely to Spidey's breaths, before he lifted his head from Spidey's neck, and reached over to his toy stethoscope. Placing the end on Spidey's chest, he tried to search out his heartbeat, only to have no success through the pretend plaything, and his face screwed up in worry. Throwing it back in its box, he moved so he was leaning over Spidey, and grabbed either side of him, giving him a shake.

"Spidey?" he asked, and small tears began to trickle down his nose. "Spider-Man?!" he called, before sobs slowly started to rack his form.

Noticing Spidey was beginning to shiver slightly, he crawled over to his bed and balled his hands up in the fabric of his comforter, before he then dragged it over to Spidey's unresponsive form, and began to wrap the red and blue Spider-Man blanket around his wounded body.

He sat there for a while, just watching Spidey sleep, before he got another idea, and once again disappeared out of the room.

Sneaking into the kitchen, he dragged a short stool over to one of the cupboards, and stood on it. Reaching up, he swung open the door, and grasped his hand around one of the many glasses on the shelf. Carefully removing it, he got down again and set it on the bench, before trotting over to the fridge, and pulling out a carton of milk. Running back to the glass with the contents swishing about, he wound off the lid, before carefully pouring the white, creamy substance in. Putting it back again he then ran over to another cupboard, peering inside, before he grabbed a packet of biscuits, and pulled one out, placing it on a small saucer. He then grabbed both items, and headed back to the room.

Creeping in, he placed the tediously collected items down next to Spidey, before grabbing Spidey's head, and shifting it slightly towards them. Picking up the biscuit, he moved it over to Spidey's mouth, waving it around. Spidey didn't respond.

"Look Spidey, I brought you food!" the boy tried to coax cheerfully, while instead picking up the milk and holding it towards him. But the hero didn't make any action of recognition, remaining still other than the jagged rise and fall of his chest.

Oliver choked, moving forward, and tried shifting Spidey's head further, patting at his cheek. "Spidey!" he said, before the distress finally took its toll, and he burst into tears.

Milk and biscuit abandoned, Oliver curled into the hero's form, as his body shook with sobs, the tears now flowing freely. He whimpered, pressing his face under Spidey's chin, hands clasping the hero desperately.

He stayed like that, cries muffled and silent, as the night went on, the sounds of thunder long faded in the distance.

* * *

Voices, cheerful and eager, made their way into Oliver's consciousness, and he stirred in his sleep - stretching his arm out lazily. He felt tired, exhausted. He didn't want to wake up, and the thought of having to made his body feel heavy.

Louder, the voices were getting louder. Oliver blinked his eyes open in confusion, before a female voice yelled strongly outside his door, clear as a bell.

"Come on, sleepy head. You can't sleep in forever!" And it was opening, his door was opening!

Oliver scrambled up in a rushed hurry, pushing himself onto his knees, just as it swung in, and the face of his mother appeared through the crack.

"Oh!" she yelled, the minute she saw the scene before her, and dropped the glass of juice she'd been taking him. It shattered on the floor. Her hands clamped over her mouth in shock as her breath came in shuddering gasps.

"Honey? Honey, what is it!? Is everything alright?" was yelled, and then within barely a minute his father's face was there too, staring with pretty much the same amount of alarm as his mother.

Oliver blinked up at them lazily - the disturbed night getting to him, as it was hard to keep his eyes open – from where he sat leaning slightly over the figure on the floor.

Following their line of sight, he looked down at the painfully familiar form on the ground, which'd barely moved an inch. He was breathing normally now, his breaths even and calm – he looked much more relaxed. It wasn't hard to know he was doing better. The sun had now come up, basking the room in a bright, golden light. It was comforting to Oliver, and the beams seemed to sparkle off the superhero's lenses, making them look bright and friendly.

He looked back up to his parents innocently, little face showing clearly the night's despair, eyes dark with remnants of tears trailing down his face.

"Mummy? Daddy?" he asked confused, waiting for them to do something. Getting the message, his father quickly zipped into the room, running to the boy and lifting him up in his arms, whispering that it was okay, that it was alright, while his mother moved over and gently checked the hero's pulse - letting out a long breath when she found one, and nodding to her husband, who curled his hand around his boy's head soothingly.

"There was a fight outside. Spidey was hurt. I couldn't leave him," their boy revealed, crying into his Dad's chest. "Am I in trouble?" His voice wobbled.

"No! No, you're most certainly not in trouble little man! Not at all! It's alright, you did a good thing, ok? You did a good thing helping the hero. I'm sure he'll be very thankful for it later," his father quickly cut in with before his boy could go any further, while looking intently over at his wife, who was perched by the fallen hero - the couple sharing a silent, worried facial conversation with each other. She was gently touching Spidey's cheek, trying to rouse a response from him. He continued to sleep.

Shifting Oliver in his grip, the father caught a glimpse of the boy's hands, and without thinking, quickly grabbed one of them. It was covered in a thin layer of drying blood.

Alarmed, he looked back up again with strong concern evident in his eyes, and lifted his son's hand so the mother could see.

Her mouth dropped open at the sight, before she quickly turned back to the hero, noting her son's favourite blanket wrapped around him - a Spider-Man blanket to be precise. Shaking the thought from her mind to mull over later, she gently found the edges, before pulling it back. She gasped in horror, and she could hear the sound of dread that came from her husband at the sheer amount of blood. Oliver whimpered too at the sight, curling further into his father.

"Oh God..." the woman barely muttered. It was dried, but it was obvious the hero had lost a lot.

Leaning forward, she lifted up the suit to reveal his stomach, searching for a better view of the damage. The wound was a long cut along the hero's abdomen, not severely deep, but enough so to have caused a lot of bleeding. Now, it was healing up, the edges closing and the original severity of the damage no longer visible, but it didn't stop the shock of the sight from getting to them.

"I'll go get a cloth. Come on, Ollie," the father said quietly, before getting up, and leading the boy out of the room.

* * *

Ten minutes later, and the last string of water was squeezed out, before the used piece of cloth was dumped on the edge of a bowl of water.

"I think that's it," the woman said, as they all looked over their handywork. Spidey's belly was now all nice and clean, with a fresh, thickly wrapped bandage wrapped carefully around his stomach. Oliver was looking on curiously from his spot on the floor in the corner, playing with some toys.

"I better take this out to the laundry," the father then inputted, as he picked up the bundled blanket, and walked out of the room. The mother then moved over to pick up the milk and plate still left on the floor, and headed out to the kitchen, also intending to clean herself up.

Watching them leave, Oliver looked back at the figure still lying on his bedroom floor, before abandoning his toys, and scooting over to the hero. He just sat there, gazing at Spidey with a look of quiet wonder and concern, before leaning forward and resting his head against his red and blue chest. He could hear Spidey's beating heart in this position, and it was reassuring to the young boy.

After a minute, he heard voices beginning to rise outside his room. He looked towards their direction curiously, before getting up off of Spidey, and running out to see what the commotion was, leaving the web-slinger all alone.

* * *

"Aden, I just don't know what else to do. I've done all I can for him, but I'm no nurse," Oliver heard his mum say, as he crept down the hall.

"But he seemed to be alright, yes? He's stable?"

"I-I think so. His heart rate's normal and his breathing's fine, and I can't see any signs of lingering infection, but he's still unconscious, and I don't know how long he's been here. Who knows how much time has passed since Oliver first brought him in."

"He's a superhero, hon. As far as I've heard they are pretty tough; they would have to be in their line of work."

"I know, I know. I'm just concerned. I have an injured _superhero,_ in my _house_ , which my son dragged in through the _window_. Forgive me if I'm finding this a little hard to deal with."

Oliver paused, as he heard the shake in his mother's voice, then they were embracing, his father trying to comfort her.

"It's ok, Kath. It's alright. If you'd like I can call an ambulance, and let them deal with it. I'm sure they're more experienced with these things than us."

"There'll be no need for that."

Everyone turned at the new voice cutting through their conversation, to find none other than the topic himself leaning in Oliver's doorway, a hand braced carefully around his middle.

"SPIDER-MAN!" Suddenly Oliver was running up to the new addition, wrapping his arms around his waist, as he was hardly tall enough to reach up higher. "I'm so glad you're ok! And that Mummy made you feel better!" he said, and Spidey warmed inside, running a hand over the boy's head affectionately.

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better, thanks. Your Mummy did a good job, and so did you! You may well have saved me today kiddo; you were a good superhero yourself," Spidey replied, and Oliver beamed, as Spidey slowly crouching down to the ground, giving the kid a friendly fist bump. He giggled, and threw his arms around the hero's neck, squeezing tight.

Gently unwinding himself from the embrace, Spidey rose up again to address the parents.

"There'll be no need for an ambulance; I'll be quite alright now. This little kiddo here gave me just the space I needed to heal." Both the parents nodded, the father swallowing hard, – "But, I think I could really do with some of that milk and a cookie right about now. I'm famished," he continued.

Oliver beamed, and before anyone could blink, was tearing towards the kitchen with such eagerness it left the parents gobsmacked.

The three remaining all looked at each other for a second, before moving out to follow the kid.

As soon as they reached the kitchen, they saw Oliver determinedly fetching a new glass and filling it with fresh milk - coming awfully close to spilling it, before he once again fetched a cookie from the cupboard - causing looks of alarm from the parents when they realised he knew just where they hid them. Very carefully, Oliver then carried the objects towards the lounge room, where Spidey followed, quickly settling down onto the couch, and letting out a relieved sigh as he did so. Leaning forward, he then reached to take the proudly offered items from the boy.

"Thank you," he said politely, before resting the plate on his lap, drink held in one hand. Oliver then took off again, heading back down the hallway.

Spidey paused for a second in surprise at his disappearance, before looking up as the parents hesitantly sat in the chair opposite him, eyes wide and mouths slightly slack in what was most likely awe as they took him in, sitting there in their living room. Spidey suddenly felt the slightest bit of awkwardness, as he cleared his throat, before Oliver reappeared, holding up something in his hand.

"Look, look!" he said, and Spidey soon found himself with a toy action figure of himself in his lap. "And this," Oliver continued, before toy after toy was added to the collection, soon becoming a miniature pile. "They're all you! You're my favourite hero! You kick bad guy's butts, and keep people safe," he praised. "I love you Spidey!" And then Oliver was hugging him, side on.

Spidey swallowed at the attention, unused to this kind of hero worship, before letting a small smile tug at his lips beneath the mask, as he then proceeded to lift it up, moving the glass of milk to his lips.

Spidey proceeded to slowly drink from the cup and eat the biscuit, occasionally dunking it in the milk, as Oliver snuggled into his neck - hug like a vice.

Taking a few more gulps, he took another bite of his cookie, before focusing back on the parents.

"So," he said, after he'd swallowed, "your son here's quite a Spider-Man fan, judging by the death grip he currently has on me." He joked, making conversation. This seemed to snap them out of their shocked trance, as they looked up at him. To his surprise, they both smiled, fond looks covering their faces.

"Yes, he's always been quite the fan of, uh, you. Spider-Man toys are all he ever wants for his birthday, and he watches the TV attentively whenever there's a newscast. He even likes us to take him on the occasional afternoon walk, where we'll let him look around at the rooftops, just so he can catch a glimpse of you some day. But, I guess that's not needed so much now, as I think he's well and truly met you," the mother said, slightly affectionately.

Spidey smiled. "Really?" he chuckled. "Well, I'm not sure he's going to let me leave. Now that he's found me, he just doesn't want to let me go, do ya kiddo?" he laughed, addressing the last part at Oliver who was still curled up around his chest. He leant down for a minute, shifting so his chin curled round the boy's head, putting another bite of biscuit in his mouth before he let out a big sigh - last night's events swirling in his mind.

As if sensing what he was thinking, Oliver pulled back, and looked him in the face.

"Who were those guys that hurt you last night?

Spidey looked thoughtful for a second, body becoming stiff, before white lenses focused on the boy. "That doesn't really matter. Just some street thugs who were more prepared than I expected, stealing a lot of important money. But don't worry, I'll catch them later."

"You'll kick their butts?"

"Yeah, I'll kick their butts," Spidey giggled, replying to the boy's enthusiastic statement, before he picked up his glass, and downed the last of it in one go. Quickly replacing his mask he stood up and stretched, many audible cracks coming from his back, before he loosened out his arms, shaking his hands. "Well, I'd guess I'd better be going now. Thank you, for all your help, especially you kiddo," –he turned to Oliver – "you were very brave, going out to rescue me like that, all by yourself. I really appreciate it," he said, leaning down to give him one last hug, and Oliver grinned from ear to ear, because Spider-Man had just called him brave. "Oh, and before I go, can I use your bathroom?"

The father jumped slightly, as if startled out of his thoughts. "Yes, certainly. Just down the hall to your left, opposite Oliver's room."

"Thanks."

* * *

Later that afternoon, an intricately woven web would be found strung in front of the window in Oliver's bedroom, the words "Thank You" weaved perfectly into it. And resting on the floor just in front of it, would be placed a small, red spider tracer, with a handwritten note underneath, explaining its function: along with saying how he'll be there at the touch of a button should they ever find themselves in trouble.

From that moment on, Oliver would keep it in his school bag every day, knowing that he was protected, and could call his hero if his bullies ever hurt him again, while the rest of the time, in the household, it would be placed next to the phone, the words "Emergency" written under it in big, large print.

* * *

About a week after that, a bunch of crooks were discovered tangled to a lamp post, the mysterious words "I told you I'd kick their butts," written on a note attached to the package, with the stolen goods tied beside it. The police never could figure it out.

* * *

 **As usual, I hope you liked that, and I'll be back with more soon :) Have a great weekend :D  
**


	22. A Very 'Fishy' Encounter

**Remember that story I did with the chickens a while back? Inspired by that scene in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 where he comes home in many different states with the added extra of all sorts of strange things? Well, this one is my attempt to tell the tale of how yet another one of those mysterious phenomenons occurred, requested by LuvFiction Xxxx. I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

The soft _lap_ , _lap_ of water gently and peacefully could be heard from the nearby walkways as the teeny tiny waves of the Hudson River licked the docks lining the water's edge. The image was a minute piece of serenity against the backdrop of the noisy city that never seemed to sleep that lay behind, the scene a perfect picture of nature meeting man.

The gentle sway of the waves continued on despite the constant chaos set just metres away, its soothing tones reaching the ears of those who cared to hear, calling out to comfort them from the harsh routine of their lives, if but only for a second.

Its distraction often went ignored though, as most of those who came near to greeting its shores blocked out the sound with blaring headphones and marching walks. All but for one.

The beautiful image was momentarily broken as a pair of gloved hands suddenly landed palm down on the slippery wood. A yelp was heard, along with a startled grunt, and a certain red and blue hero went for a rather noisy dip in the pond. The splash caught the attention of the odd passersby, before they continued on with their day - unable to spot the disturbance.

Spidey sat up from his place half hidden beneath the wooden boards and shook his hands out, looking down at his soaked self.

"Aww, and I just dried this costume! I'll never get into the laundry room a second time, not without the 'laundry sheriff' finding out, and oh man, wouldn't that be a death sentence. I thought you sticky powers were supposed to, you know, actually cling onto things? ...And not send me tumbling to my doom? Next time, maybe warn me before you decide to go on vacation."

If anyone had been walking past at that time, they would have caught Spider-Man sounding off to the open air, looking undoubtedly like someone who'd lost their marbles. But, unfortunately, no one was paying attention, and therefore missed the spider's arguably ridiculous outspoken monologue, so not obtaining the biggest news footage of the week. Fortunately for Spider-Man their focus was elsewhere, so he was saved the humiliation of his humorous talk being twisted into the 'gossip of the century' by one Jay Jolly Jonah.

"Just don't do that when villain one, villain two, or even a villain three are all destroying the world. Wouldn't that be a sight? Doc Ock, watching me fall to my death without even laying a finger on me. How awkward. Or having a moment of truth when I'm accepted into a tribe of spider people, only to face plant the ground when the realness of my powers really matters."

Spidey paused in his ramblings, looking around himself suddenly - tensing up. "Wait, did I just say all that out loud?" No one replied but the gentle whistle of the breeze. "Huh, maybe I need a psychiatrist, before all this crazy New York madness gets to my spider brain, brrr," he shivered, before then cocking his head to the side.

"Is it just me, or do I hear something?" He gazed out towards the open river, before he caught sight of a distressed boat slowly sinking in the distance, and his spider-sense tingled up his spine dramatically. "Yup, that's actually people in danger. Get a grip, Spidey." He looked down at his partially wet suit, before letting out a deep sigh - all thoughts dismissed about soaking his costume, and dived into the water.

The coldness of the river hit him with full force, but he continued on, swimming as fast as he could in the direction of the sinking vessel.

* * *

"Help! Hellppp!"

A hand dug around in the murky depths of the water, and the panicked face of an elderly man could be seen through the underwater ripples as the waves lapped at the last remaining surfaces of the slowly sinking fishing boat.

The man's blue/grey eyes were wide - desperate, as unchecked tears streaked down his slightly wrinkled face.

Traumatised and disoriented, he jumped forward, completely forgetting about his own safety, searching around under the water below.

He was just making another pushing effort to get down lower, when a lean, red and blue flash of colour swam up and grabbed him round the middle - moving him towards the surface.

* * *

Spidey burst through the water, gasping in a deep breath, and dragged the much bigger man back to the boat, both of them collapsing on what remained of the deck.

Slowly, Spidey pushed himself up from the heap they'd landed in, and sat in a crouch.

The swim over had been rather exhausting. Spidey had no problem swimming, but it wasn't his strong point, and everyone knew spiders and water weren't the best mix. So he was just relieved he'd managed to get there in time.

Reaching forward, he grabbed the man's hand, carefully lifting him up into a sitting position, with an arm around his back.

"My...my-"

"It's alright, sir. You're going to be ok," Spidey soothed. He looked frantically around, until he spotted a safety raft. Jumping up, he quickly raced over the half submerged, sinking deck, and started setting it up - pulling it away from the main boat. As soon as it was free, he dumped it in the water, before grabbing the man, and lifting one of his arms up around his neck - beginning to drag him to said raft.

"No!" The man screamed, holding an arm out behind them and trying to protest, digging his feet into the deck.

"It's alright. You're ok, sir," Spidey practically chanted, as he focused on getting both he and the man to safety.

Reaching the raft, he jumped in, before settling the man down. The man immediately scrambled to the side, leaning out over the water. "No! No! My wife, MY WIFE!"

 _'What did he just say?'_ Spidey's heart froze. He'd been so focused on getting the man to safety that he hadn't realised there was someone else on board.

Leaving the man there in a hurry, he leapt back into the water without a thought, diving down as far as he could before swimming frantically.

The water was murky, and he struggled to see as he scrambled for the bottom. There was a mild current. It threatened to pull him away from his search area as he reached the river bed, his fingers probing through the murky material. After a few minutes, his body begged for air and he had no choice but to swim back up.

His head broke the surface, and he gasped for air, taking in several long draughts before heading back down again. When he came up for air, he caught the view in the corner of his eye of the man leaning over the edge of the raft, and the hopeful expression that had passed over his face, only for it to drop when he realised that he was alone. The sight broke his heart, and he dived with more vigour this time - desperate to save this man's wife.

Reaching the bottom again, he searched desperately, scrambling through the water with an urgency growing in the pit of his stomach. Before long, he had no choice but to come up for air again.

His lungs screamed desperately as he took in several more gulps of air, but he wouldn't give up. He dived again, squinting his eyes to try and see anything through the murky shadows, but it was hopeless. He paused in the water, a feeling of deep failure washing over him; that's when he felt it, a slight tingle from his spider-sense; a small nudge. He closed his eyes, listening to his senses, before his head snapped around, and he pushed forward towards where his senses were directing him. That's when he finally found her, the cloth of her clothes just visible in the murky blackness. He pulled her to him, and placed his feet on the ground, pushing up with all his strength towards the surface, just hoping it wasn't too late.

He gasped the minute the fresh air hit his face, grabbing onto the edge of the raft, and immediately coughed and spluttered. He lifted the woman up after him, handing her towards the man still waiting at the edge, who immediately took her in his arms, dragging her to the safety of the life raft.

Spidey climbed up over the edge after them, and collapsed onto his back, chest heaving, as he tried to catch his breath, struggling through his wet, soggy mask. But he didn't stay there long, as forgetting himself, he rolled over onto his side, and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees - crawling towards the still unresponsive woman.

The man was shaking her, crying out for her to wake up, but obediently moved out of the way as Spidey came over.

He leaned forward and placed his ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat before moving back and placing his hands over her chest, one on top of the other. Taking in a deep breath, he pushed, and began resuscitation. He counted how many times he pumped, before lifting his mask above his mouth, and breathing into her lungs. He did this on repeat, her husband waiting vigilantly by her side, whispering reassurances and words of encouragement to her as Spidey worked, intently trying to breathe life back into her body.

After the fourth time round, time seemed to pause, as a miniature miracle happened, and her body seized before she began to cough and splutter, expelling the water from her lungs, her heart fluttering back to life.

Spidey fell back onto his haunches, suddenly exhausted, and sat there catching his breath as husband and wife were reunited, grabbing each other in a big hug.

Watching absentmindedly, Spidey was suddenly surprised when a strong arm came out and grabbed him round the shoulder, pulling him towards them.

"Thank you." He was met with the man looking him in the masked eyes with sincerity. "Thank you for saving my wife."

"Oh, uh, it was no problem, sir."

"No, I mean it," the man said, giving his shoulder a shake. "I am extremely grateful for what you have done."

Spidey didn't know what to say at the seriousness in his tone, so just gave a soft nod, showing he understood his meaning.

"Oh, thank you, son. I cannot show my gratitude enough," the woman then said with a kind, slightly rough voice, and pulled him into a gentle hug. "I owe you my life."

Spidey smiled, as she reminded him slightly of his Aunt May, and returned the embrace. She gently rubbed his back, before pulling away, and then turned around finally to gaze at their surroundings.

"Oh, what a mess! The poor old girl. I suppose she's had her last fishing trip," she said, as she stared at the remains of their sunken boat.

The man sighed. "It certainly looks like it. I just might have to take up my buddies' offer to try golf as a new hobby."

Spidey couldn't help but let a low rumble rise from his chest at that, along with the pair, as they all broke out into dry laughter.

"Oh, wait, is that...look!" and suddenly the lady was reaching into the water - pulling at what appeared to be a net, while her husband soon chimed it.

"Ha! Well what do you know? I guess it wasn't all for nothing after all," the man celebrated, and Spidey looked down, his eyes widening as he watched them pull up a large net filled with fish. "Would ya look at that!"

"I bet I could make a nice fish pie out of all those. Would be perfect for when we get home," the woman giggled. "Speaking of home, I think I've had well enough excitement for one day," - she placed a hand over her heart. "How exactly are we going to get back?"

"Oh," Spidey said, as they all looked around at each other. "I can do that," and without another word, he hopped back into the water, and began kicking his legs, pushing the life raft back towards the docks.

The man sighed, tension finally releasing from his shoulders. "Oh, that's very thoughtful of you, Spider-Man."

"No problem, sir."

* * *

By the time they reached the shore, the weariness of the afternoon's events was really starting to catch up to them.

Spidey had heard the sound of sirens just as they were approaching the shore, and the minute they arrived, rescue workers were there waiting with blankets and an ambulance for the couple. The woman was immediately taken care of and guided to the ambulance to be checked over. Her husband meandered along behind.

As soon as Spidey's hands had reached solid ground, he'd collapsed against the sand, resting his weary limbs and just being happy to be on solid ground again, the water lapping at his waist. He may not have been the first choice of hero for this specific situation, but he'd done his best, even if it wasn't on his normal home turf. He'd say he'd done a pretty good job under the circumstances, but now he felt like one very water-logged spider.

Hearing voices coming towards him, he pushed himself up on his hands and knees, getting ready to stand, when a hand came out and took his arm, pulling him to his feet.

"Nice rescue, Spidey, we all saw it from the beach. Here, you might want this." Spidey looked in front of him to see a mid-twenty-year-old rescue worker with a smile on his face, holding out a blanket.

Spidey took it numbly, wrapping it around his small form, and shook his head, expelling the excess water soaking his mask. The newcomer stepped back and laughed, as he got sprayed with water, before giving the hero a friendly pat on the shoulder. The sun was strong and warm. It chased away the shivers that threatened to stiffen his form and Spidey was heavily gratefully as he soaked it up.

* * *

The place seemed to be swarming with rescue workers as boats of men began to head out on the river, moving forward to retrieve the wreckage of the boat. Spidey just stood there warming in the setting rays of sun when he caught sight of the couple heading over towards him. The man (who he still didn't know the name of) wandered over to the life raft they'd made it over in, and messed around within the net for a minute, before picking something out and walking back again.

"Here," he said, and suddenly the next thing he knew, the largest fish he swore he'd ever seen was dumped in his arms. "You need the strength."

"Wh-whaa? I can't take this!" Spidey protested, staring at the thing in shock. He held it awkwardly in his arms, the fish huge against his skinny body.

"Oh, but I insist. A gift for saving my dear Josephine, and you need to keep up your strength. It is yours." The last statement was final, and he gave Spidey a hard pat on the back, before heading back to his watching wife, who was giggling quietly at the exchange, leaving Spidey standing there.

His eyes seemed to bug out of his head, as he was a sight to behold, standing awkwardly with his fish. Before deciding he had nothing else he could do, he tucked it under one arm, and swung off, leaving behind the conglomeration of flashing emergency lights as dusk set in.

* * *

Arriving back at the Parker household, he stared at the open innards of his wardrobe, still wearing his half-dried suit, and gawked at the giant fish in his arms, at a total loss as to what to do...

Fifteen minutes later, Peter numbly descended the stairs from his room, and wandered towards the kitchen.

"Peter, honey, I can't make up my mind as to what to make for dinner. Would you like any of that..." Aunt May couldn't help but stare at the enormously large fish that was deposited on her kitchen counter, as her eyes then followed the boy who'd left it there, her mouth hanging open as he ventured into the lounge room.

* * *

 **I'd like to thank you all once again for your incredible support! And I hope to update more regularly again now that it's the holidays :)**


	23. The Gift of Life

**I told you I was gonna update quickly :P Here's another one that's slightly different. I think it has a more personal feel. I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

The wind whipped through her hair, which flowed all around her soft face as the bright yellow sun shone down; the sky eerily beautiful as the rays of light seemed to stretch and shimmer over the horizon in slow motion. It reflected in her ocean blue eyes, which only expressed that of shock, as the possible last moment of her life seemed to freeze in time - rippling past her in such stilled beauty that the sensation overwhelmed her being.

She'd fallen. She'd fallen! It had only been one small moment of mistake, so innocent and irrelevant in the larger picture of life, but in that one, splitting second, everything had suddenly been lost.

She saw the faces of her friends on the balcony above her, expressions of shock, heartbreak and loss only mirroring her own. With each second that ticked by, she felt every beat of her heart, and the breath of life held within her - as if hanging in the balance.

She thought of her family and loved ones, and how their souls must be going to mourn and yearn for her own, and how it pained her to cause them such harm: to be ripped from existence, so their spirits could no longer intertwine.

Her chest tightened at the hole she would leave, and the beauty she would no longer enjoy, before her direction almost seemed to change. For a split second, she felt like she was floating on air, just as a pair of arms curled themselves around her seemingly in slow motion, and she felt something twisting to press against her form.

All of a sudden, she was flying. The sky began to rise up closer to her, and the breeze became less violent - more relaxing, as for a splitting moment, the sky seemed to reach down towards her. She could see the view of the landscape and city below her, the light catching the buildings. A bird flew silently in the distance. It was peaceful.

Before she knew it, she was gracefully soaring through the sky, plummeting back towards the Earth.

But it wasn't aggressive. It was almost...controlled, guided.

Just as she could make out the small details of the cars driving beneath her, the force of gravity seemed to lift off her shoulders, and she was flying forwards again, moving up through the city. All of a sudden, she was balancing on air, and she felt herself being bent backwards, until her spine was curved against the person behind her, and her face was once again facing the sky. She closed her eyes in that blissful moment, letting the sun tickle her eyelashes, before her balance tipped backwards gracefully, and she was taken for a full flip, gliding back down towards the ground. Bravely, she moved her arms out cautiously alongside her body in a swan dive, a small giggle of happiness and tremendous relief escaping from her lips - a giggle of life.

Seeming to sense her sudden happiness, the figure holding her responded to her joy, and began pushing them faster through the air, dropping and rising - soaring from all different directions and filling up her ride with constant flips and turns, many of which were at incredibly skilled levels. In a way, she didn't feel like she was merely being carried by something else, but guided. A grin formed on her face, stretching right to her eyes, as her moment of near death and fright was instantly replaced with one of beauty and magnificence.

This thoroughly life-giving journey went on for pushing half an hour, before they smoothly slowed to a halt, softly landing on the roof of a low building.

Slowly, she stepped away from the person who'd just given her this precious gift, and sat cross-legged on the grainy concrete floor, closing her eyes. For a moment, she just sat, taking the time to appreciate the very life which breathed through her soul, before she opened them again to look the person who'd saved her in the eyes.

He was right in front of her, crouched curiously on the ground with his face right up close to hers, and skittered back in surprise when she opened her eyes.

She smiled at the sweet little arachnid in front of her, warmed by his curiosity, before addressing its soul.

"Hello, little one. You have given me a great gift today - the gift of life - for you have taken time out of your own one to save mine."

The human arachnid in front of her cocked its head to the side, obviously in confusion, before she started to glow an angelic white colour, and her eyes sparkled with dazzling blue. The spider jumped back in alarm.

"I am a spirit of a different realm to yours, and I would like to thank you for saving me today. Your own soul hurts - I can feel the pain within you." She rose and stepped forward slightly, and placed a hand over the arachnid's heart. "You have suffered great loss, and for this very reason you strive to save others, so they may not suffer the same pain as you have. This is very admirable; you put others above yourself - a truly humble approach. For this, you will be rewarded with the best gift I can give you." Then, she slowly moved forward, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

* * *

Spidey was in shock. He'd just saved a young girl from dying when she fell over a balcony, and had taken her for a light swing through the city to improve her mood, and now she was glowing!

She'd just appeared like a normal human girl when he'd caught her, eyes wide and panicked like they usually would be - nothing different from any other civilian in this city. But apparently he was wrong, as what had appeared to be your ordinary teenage girl, was in fact a being from another realm entirely, and now she was speaking oddly and walking towards him. Her arms wrapped around his still form in a hug, and his eyes widened beneath the mask.

The most incredible sensation moved through him from her light, almost as if her very soul was touching his, and she was offering him comfort. He felt a shiver of peace run through his form as every hurt, and every tear he'd ever had was acknowledged. She didn't heal or remove his pain, didn't offer some magical cure, she was just there, and spent that one second embracing and acknowledging it. It was truthfully the most beautiful sensation he'd ever felt.

Just as soon as it started, it was all over, and the girl backed away - reverting to her previous self. She then leaned forward in a sort of...half bow - giving him a slight nod and a smile, before simply walking away towards the stairs.

Spidey didn't move to follow her, to ask questions, as he was just too much in shock. He let out a deep breath, and almost seemed to feel the pain vanish, whistling away on the wind. He knew it wasn't gone - he would always still feel the pain of what he'd experienced, the losses he'd suffered - but all of a sudden, he just felt whole.

If he'd gone home like he'd thought of doing just a few minutes before he'd seen her - giving up on helping people in need for the day - he would never have saved her, would never have stopped that dreadful occurrence from happening. If he'd given in to that selfish part of himself that believed the world could fend for itself while he went to mope in his room, stressing about his daily problems, then that girl would be dead, and he would never have saved an alien being, and would never have been shown the things he'd experienced. The feeling was truly enlightening.

Turning back towards the edge of the roof, Spidey contemplated what had just transpired, and felt an odd new hope rise inside of him. Maybe he _could_ keep going, _could_ keep saving people despite the hurt he often experienced from their lack of care or respect for him - at least for one more day. Maybe...maybe it was worth more than what it seemed.

And with that thought, he leaped off the building, once again soaring through the air with a new outlook on life, a fresh spark of hope in his otherwise weary heart.

* * *

 **Nawww! To be honest, I made myself cry every time I read this, I'm such a sop. But anyway, thanks for reading :) And I'd like to ask if there are any original characters from other stories in this series that you would like to see return? I'm going to do a few 'sequels' :) A Cranes 2 is already in progress ;) If there are any, do tell me in the comments. The ones most requested will get a re-appearance in a future chapter :)**

 **Also, thanks yet again for all the wonderful support guys! I wouldn't be able to do this without you :)**


	24. Symbol of the Spider

**Hello there :) Here's a very comfort filled piece. I hope you enjoy! :) And I'd like to give a shout out to all the guests who've reviewed recently, THANK YOU! :D Your reviews made my day :)**

* * *

In a dark corner of the city where life is not so easy - citizens struggling to make ends meet, living in dingy apartments - where the streets are dirty and unkept (violence being commonplace to those familiar with the underbelly of New York) and criminals hide to count their loot, several figures wearing black hoodies snuck into an abandoned alley.

Checking behind themselves, they combed the area with careful eyes, before one, smaller member placed a black gloved hand against a bare wall, brushing off grime and dirt.

Appearing to make a decision, they dropped their backpack on the ground. The rest of the group followed suit, mirroring their actions.

The lead figure rummaged around inside their bag for a few minutes, before pulling out a slender tin can. They shook the contents around inside, and pulled the cap. Holding it up in front of them, they aimed the nozzle at the wall and a red spray emerged from within.

* * *

Spidey snuck stealthily down onto a fire escape, and stretched his back. He was tired, a weight of weariness hanging over him, and he massaged his temples. He just wasn't quite up to his game today. The night seemed to stretch on forever, and the strong urge to find a dark, quiet corner to spin a web and curl up to sleep in, was constantly nagging at his conscience.

' _Darn spider instincts_ ,' he thought.

He leaned wearily against the wall and sighed, shoulders slumped, allowing himself to take a quick breather.

He hated these days, the ones where he just dragged his spidery butt along, keeping up his duties through a hazy mind. It was even an effort to keep up his regular quips and jokes on days like today, his normally charismatic persona suffering.

He swallowed tiredly, rubbing at his temples again - trying to ebb away the ache there - and flopped down cross-legged on the metal grate.

He slumped over himself, closing his eyes behind the lenses, and just willed his body to wake up, to stop aching, complaining, and feeling lousy. He could have a bad day some other time...

While he sat, a noise began to make its way to his attention. A soft sound, bouncing around the walls of the back streets; a spraying sound, followed by the occasional whispering, and shaking of metal cans.

Attention bought, and curious, he raised his head from where he'd been staring at his lap, and gazed down the alleyway.

A little further along, a group of people were hovering around a wall, hoodies drawn.

Spidey shifted his head to the side to get a better look.

They whispered amongst each other, and then moved positions, spraying up at the wall.

Spidey moved, slowly pulling himself up, and took a few steps forward, hand reaching up to hold onto the fire escape as he tried to look closer. They were using spray cans, and seemed practiced, experienced, as they sprayed a pattern against the brick surface.

As smooth as a cat, Spidey jumped down, landing softly on the ground. Carefully, he rose up to his full height, slowly walking through the shadows towards them.

He tilted his head as he got closer, and came up behind them, trying to make out the pattern. He watched curiously, with his lenses fixed on a moving arm, as a long stream of red was painted on the wall.

Only after he'd been watching for a few seconds, did his eyes widen under the mask, as he recognised the shape they were painting. The shape he'd seen popping up in all sorts of places throughout New York; the constant messages of encouragement, the little works of art, the very familiar shape which was currently stretched across his back - stamped proudly on his chest. His symbol.

Spidey gasped.

All movement ceased, with everyone becoming suddenly still, before a group of about six faces all spun around, spray cans still raised in the air, and all eyes fell on him.

Spidey felt awkward under the gaze, and just stared.

The group stared back. Their faces were clouded in shadow, so he could not make out their expressions, until his attention was re-claimed by the object behind them.

Slowly, they all silently moved out of the way, as Spidey walked forward and gazed up at the fresh artwork now spread across the wall. A small place in his heart was swelling.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting for his reaction, probably in too much awe to speak. But Spidey didn't speak, he just stared. It wasn't the accuracy behind the design that garnered his attention, it was the motive behind it- the support, the reassurance, the constant reminder of love, the kind words that sometimes accompanied them, the incredible personal meaning they held in his heart...

He was mesmerised, just gazing at the half-finished painting of a large red spider before him, his mind stuck on the fact that the people now surrounding him were the ones who'd been drawing the symbols, the ones responsible for these little icons of love. But then his mind drifted to the fact that he'd caught them, and what they were doing was technically illegal, graffitying public walls –

"Spidey, are you ok?"

The voice broke through his spiralling train of thought, and he turned back to look blankly at who'd spoken. It was a man's voice, and gazing at him closer, he could just make out the thin, concerned line of his lips.

He cocked his head to the side in confusion, before it dawned on him. He must have been standing there for quite some time; he was tired, shoulders slumped and slightly curled inwards, not saying a word; unlike his usual self...

"Why do you ask?" he replied simply.

He received six blank glares in response, as if the answer was obvious. Spidey just watched them, glossy lenses searching, before a light touch was brushed against his arm, and he snapped his head around.

"They were simply concerned. You looked tired." A woman most likely in her fifties answered, hood now pulled back.

Spidey made a small sound of acknowledgment in his throat, before he swallowed, turning away.

"I guess you could say I am...tired." he said, before sighing, and sitting straight on the ground where he'd been standing, rubbing at his temples again.

He stayed there for a few minutes, just breathing deeply, and trying to rub the tired headache away. But he was once again startled out of his haze by something touching against his arm. He looked up.

The woman was now holding out a metal flask toward him. She had gently tapped it on his arm, a warm smile on her face.

Spidey's brow furrowed behind the mask, before he reached up a gloved hand to take it.

"What's this?" he spoke.

"Just a little flask of soup. I always take one with me when we're out working in the city. I think today's is pumpkin. Have it; it'll do you good."

Spidey's heart swelled, and his eyes widened. He was sitting on the ground with this kind lady leaning over him, and a group of people calmly standing around, watching on with interest.

"No, no, I can't take this. You might need it!" He tried to hand the flask back, flustered and slightly embarrassed that he was being offered 'most likely' hand-made food by a random New Yorker - food that belonged to them, food they had made for themselves to eat –

"I won't need it. I insist; you look as though you could use the nourishment." She refused to take it, pushing it back towards him again.

Seeing her mind was made up, he sighed, bringing the flask round to his lap, fiddling with it in his hands. After a moment, he unwound the lid, and took a curious, hesitant sniff of the contents.

His eyes widened and his stomach grumbled at the warm, delicious smell that invaded his nostrils. Only half aware of what he was doing, he rolled his mask up, and took a testing sip.

Before he knew it, he was practically lapping it up. It was warm on his tongue, the rich goodness soothing to his belly. A hand lightly rubbed at his shoulders, running small circles over his spandex covered back, as he drank.

After a few more swallows, he emptied the small flask, and began licking his lips repeatedly, enjoying the delicious taste.

He let out a deep breath, something between a moan and a sigh, and his eyelids slipped shut. Enjoying the comfortable warmth in his tummy, he relaxed, the headache seeping from his body and fresh energy revitalising his form. His previous discomfort was but a memory, as new strength surfaced in his weary limbs.

He stood up, aware of his unintentional show of need.

The group were all still standing there, some now casually leaning against the wall, or also sitting on the ground. He tilted his head at them, feeling curious by this calm, unusual set of people, before a sharp tingle buzzed up the back of his neck, and a shrill scream tore through the air a few alleys over. His head instantly snapped to the side.

He turned back briefly and found the woman watching him. She nodded her head at him, before he took off toward the cry, flipping up onto the rooftops.

In his absence, the team all shifted from their positions, and silently got back to work. The symbol of the spider was being fully formed onto the brickwork, a young female artist at the helm of the whole operation.

When they were all finally finished, they smiled.

* * *

 **:)**

 **Thanks you guys for telling me which characters you'd like to return, your answers have been noted :) Lots more stories coming soon! :D  
**


	25. Sensory Instinct

**Oooo, what is this? Yes, yes it is I. I'm back! And I bring a fresh story with me :)**

 **Well, to put it simply, I'm sorry about my lack of activity of late, but we've had a death in the family, and everything and everyone's been a bit of a mess over the last several months, including myself, so I have been unable to upload. But the good news is I've finally finished this, and guess what? It's the longest one yet, hitting over 6k! So I really hope you can enjoy it :)**

 **NOTE: This story contains the character Aaron from the previous story "Burning" of this series, as he's a specific character I personally wanted to bring back :)**

* * *

The air was fresh, the sky rich and sparkling, as Spidey tugged on his webs and barrel-rolled through the air like a vibrant splash of red and blue. People pointed and gasped, awed at seeing the famed spider-themed superhero swinging through the air, and he grinned to himself behind the mask.

It was a beautiful morning. Spidey had been swinging from his webs ever since he'd been able to escape the house after breakfast. He was buzzing with energy, and it showed in the day's acrobatic manoeuvres. Social media was alive with his activities, and he'd become somewhat of a current tourist attraction, the citizens picking up on his good mood - people filming his stunts in the streets as he hopped about, following the progress of his morning patrol.

He knew he shouldn't indulge himself like this, but he also knew he was entertaining the pedestrians, and every now and then a superhero should be allowed to have fun, even ones such as himself...right? Anyway, it wasn't like it was a rare occasion for him to be the focus of social media, intentional or not.

As he was leisurely swinging around another street corner a sudden, unexpected, sharp pain burst to life in his head.

Scrambling, he wobbled on his web, quickly coming to a halt on a nearby ledge, and gritted his teeth. His spider-sense had exploded to life. He'd know the feeling anywhere.

Just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone, and Spidey hesitantly took his hands away from where they'd been clutching at his masked head, sitting up straighter from where his shoulders had curled in on themselves.

He gazed carefully around his surroundings. The cars were moving; people were milling about the sidewalks, shops were open; everything was as it should be – no sign of any disturbance.

"Well..." Spidey said to himself, still looking for danger. But the sky was still blue and the air as fresh as it could get in New York. No super-villains appeared to be lurking on the horizon.

Ignoring the mystery for now, Spidey continued on at the sound of some sirens, keeping a keen eye out, but otherwise getting on with his day. Maybe it was just some stray anxiety from his week. It had been known to happen. At least he hoped that was all it was.

Shaking his thoughts, Spidey continued on his way.

* * *

4 hours later

Aaron poured more water over the burnt kitchen, before stepping back, inspecting the now black, and smoking, stove. The fire department had had a call for a blaze in a small restaurant in Manhattan, and they'd quickly made their way over.

The flames had made their way up the wall and licked the sealing, but thankfully the tall, fiery inferno was no longer eating away at the structure like it had been some minutes ago. Luckily, the blaze hadn't spread too far (thanks to the quick thinking of one of the employees who'd fetched the fire extinguisher after they'd evacuated the building) but they'd needed a little extra help getting the flames completely out.

Aaron had been part of the group called out to the situation.

Letting out a sigh, Aaron removed his oxygen mask and ran his black and yellow, thickly gloved fingers through his hair. He was relieved at another job well done. They could put another successful mission under their belts, with no one hurt and the situation quickly neutralized. Aaron would call that a success.

He'd been a firefighter for four years now, and seen many horrible, and often painful, things. His eyes had witnessed a large array of various events, having many experiences locked under his belt. Sometimes he wondered if he'd seen it all, the good and the bad. Over that time he'd learnt to appreciate the successes, no matter how big or small: the clean cases, where everyone walked away unharmed.

Aaron walked out of the building, and up to the owners. He gave them a small smile and a nod. "The fire's all out now. And your restaurant should be fine, with a little repairing. The guys'll make sure it's safe before you go back in."

"Thank you," they both said, and he nodded once again, before moving back to the fire truck to put his oxygen mask away. While he was working, a slight murmur moved down the street as if like a wave, before a whooshing sound filled his ears, as something moved low over his head. He snapped his head around in surprise, looking for the disturbance.

His eyes were just fast enough to catch the lean figure of red and blue in the air.

The spider messed around, moving at quick speeds, almost as if he was unfocused for a moment. He was then sliding down the wall when Aaron's eyes had finally caught up with him. He clung, grabbing at something for a moment, before there was an icy, strangled scream, and the figure smashed into the ground.

Aaron ran. His feet were moving before his mind had even registered them, as he made his way towards the familiar body splayed out limply on the pavement and dropped to his knees.

* * *

Earlier

Spidey's day had slowly diminished as the sun rose higher in the sky.

Around mid-morning, there'd been a malfunction at a major set of traffic lights, right in the heart of the city. He'd literally spent several frustrating hours out on the road directing the traffic as the workers tried to fix the problem.

Webbing up the ruined cars and pulling them away from their furious, arguing owners had also not been the most pleasant task in the world, as a destructive pile-up had been the initial result of the chaos. With what could be described as extreme luck, there'd been no casualties, apart from one elderly man with a nasty cut down his leg. Spidey had spent several minutes consoling the man.

The air seemed to be filled with a sense of agitation, as Spidey had nearly been run over several times in the long process by stressed, uncooperative drivers. Before he'd finally been able to take his leave, he'd lashed out at one particular driver who'd been nagging him, throwing a shot of web angrily at his car, effectively covering it in unnecessary gunk, before catapulting away.

Spidey felt bad about it - he very rarely lost his temper like that. Throughout the entire time he was there though, his spider-sense had kept going off, driving him mad; getting stronger as time went on. It was giving him a headache. Combined with the aggravated drivers, and the pain, it was clouding his thoughts.

Yet, despite all of this, he still could not find a source for his over-active senses.

Things did not begin to ease after his departure from the chaotic traffic incident, as barely five minutes later, someone tried to rob a store.

The young man didn't succeed, as Spidey nabbed him with a web before he could make it several metres down the street, reeling him in like a fish on a hook.

The owner had stormed out, ready to give the thief a piece of her mind, before the man's hood had slipped back, revealing his shocked, 'deer-caught-in-headlights' face. Then all hell broke loose.

The pair had started arguing like a pack of ravenous wolves, tearing into each other with words, as an entire family crisis played out before him. It turned out the perpetrator was the woman's son, and the amount of vicious mayhem that came out in that conversation was too much for Spidey's headache. He groaned - completely forgotten about by the pair- and clutched his head with both hands. Squeezing his eyes shut, he staggered back slightly as the waves of pain washed over him.

"Stop!" he yelled, the sound coming out quieter than intended, unable to take any more. But they didn't hear him.

Blindly holding an arm out, he leaned against the wall, trying to rest his head, but it was no good with the incessant screaming going on in his ears.

"Could you please STOP!"

Both faces turned to him, startled and shocked that they'd been interrupted from their argument.

Spidey stood away from the wall.

"Thank you," he said. "The police will be here soon, they can help you sort it out the-"

He never got to finish his sentence, for as if they'd already forgotten his presence again, the argument re-started with a vengeance.

Spidey stood still and quiet until the police arrived, before swinging away.

* * *

Manoeuvring around the skyscrapers of New York, Spidey swung slowly along. He'd become achingly tired from the constant, re-occurring buzzing in his head: the continuous, ringing alertness draining his strength.

He just wanted a dark, quiet place where he could sit a while: where he could hide, safe. Away from the bustling, loud activity of the city.

Lethargically shooting another web, his eyes searched the landscape, just looking for some little nook somewhere, when he was hit with the mother of all spider-senses. His vision blurred, his world swayed, as he careered out of control.

He zoomed low over the street, before slamming straight into a wall.

Trying to focus through his screaming mind, he made a clumsy attempt to stop his descent, his fingers clinging to the first thing they came in contact with. But his head pounded.

He briefly heard an echo of his distress emerge from his lips, before his world was going dark and he lost all sense of reality.

* * *

Present

Aaron grabbed the still figure's hand, and gave it a slight squeeze, feeling for a pulse on his wrist. He had one, but it was slightly elevated.

Leaning forward, he patted the masked face. His forehead creased in concern when he could not coax Spidey to awaken. Briefly taking in their surroundings, Aaron slipped his hands beneath the hero and lifted him into his arms. The motion was familiar, as Aaron remembered doing this once before, when he'd dragged the small form out of a disastrous, raging inferno, a little girl clutched tight to his chest...

Aaron shook away the memories, and quickly made his way over to the sidewalk. Autopilot took over, as he searched around for a place where the hero could be safely laid out. In the corner of his eye he saw a store owner motion him to a clear space at the front of his shop. Making up his mind, he moved in that direction.

* * *

Blackness. That's all Spidey knew as consciousness slowly returned to him.

He took a heaving breath.

His thoughts were a scattered mess. In the back of his mind, he was aware of a mild ache. He was also aware of a warm, comforting hand squeezing his own. He grounded in on that, as voices slowly began to swim into his mind, becoming clearer. He groaned mildly to himself, shifting his head to the side before flickering his eyes open.

Faces. There were faces above him, leaning in. Blinking, they finally began to come into focus. He recognised the blue uniform of paramedics. There was also the vaguely familiar face of a lone fireman sitting beside him.

"Spider-Man. Can you hear me, Spider-Man?" one of the medics was asking - a young female with short, dark hair. Her green eyes were searching his masked face intently.

Another groan slipped unwontedly past his lips. The hand squeezed his own again, while a second gripped his upper arm, holding tight, as if trying to give him strength. The paramedic's fingers were soon resting against his throat, checking his pulse - an action he was beginning to come more and more familiar with considering the amount of trouble he got himself into - while her eyes gazed intently at her wrist watch, counting the seconds.

Shifting his attention, he moved his head to face the man in the fireman's uniform. The man gazed back at him silently through the large bug lenses. Glimmers of memories shifted through his mind. Coughing, choking on smoke - the image of this face being there the whole time, a reassuring comfort. The fire. He remembered. He'd met this man before...

Reassured by the familiarity, Spidey turned away. He whined, pressing a gloved hand to the side of his head.

The hand gripped tighter. He gripped back.

The paramedic moved forward and took his shoulders, a look of concern on her face. "Spidey, what's wrong?" When he didn't answer immediately, she changed the question. "What hurts?"

"My head," Spidey answered, the pain leaking through his voice.

"Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?" the paramedic asked, getting straight to business.

"Ah...no, not that I know of."

The young medic looked confused. The fireman was silently looking between them, a concerned expression showing on his face.

Seeing their confusion, he elaborated. "My head's _screaming_."

"So you have a headache then?"

Spidey shook his head. "No. No, not really. It's hard to explain. I-I have...senses, that other people don't have."

"Senses?" the fireman chimed in softly.

Spidey groaned. "Yeah, I call it my spider-sense. It's-it's been going off all day...hurts."

"Your senses hurt you?" The woman's green eyes became wide with alarm, her face full of sudden sympathy.

"Yes...no. Sort of. It's complicated."

The fireman looked thoughtful. "Spidey, what sort of senses are these?"

"Danger senses."

They both froze.

"Are you saying these senses warn you of danger, and it's going off now?"

"Yes."

The poor girl suddenly appeared scared, looking around their surroundings frantically.

"I haven't come across anything, though. Sometimes it does strange things, and just goes off. I don't know why, although most of the time it's pretty reliable." He let out a chuckle, before groaning again. The man squeezed his hand.

The medic was quiet for a second. "Well, can we give you painkillers for it?" She started rummaging around in her bag.

Spidey shook his head. "No, it doesn't work like that. Painkillers have no effect on this."

The medic paused. She looked mildly distraught. "Well then, Spidey, I don't know how to help you."

Spidey pulled his lips in a tight line as a breeze blew over the three of them, ruffling the leaves on the nearby potted plants. He could tell this woman didn't like seeing him in pain, and was upset by the knowledge of not being able to help him. He felt touched.

Reaching out a gloved hand, he clasped her own. "It's not your- err!"

Spidey let go with a jolt and grabbed his head, as his spider-sense started up again in full force. He writhed on the ground at the intense, screaming pressure, and couldn't help but let out a few choked off screams at the pain. His mind was desperately telling him to HIDE, to hide NOW. To get out of the way! But get out of the way of what...?

Spidey's limbs subconsciously curled up closer to him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pounding ringing to stop.

Out of his dark inner void, two hands gently placed themselves over his own on his head, and stayed there.

After several exhausting, overwhelming minutes, his spider-sense finally died back down to a low buzz.

Spidey gasped, sucking in deep breaths, and just lay still for a minute, regaining his composure.

"Are you sure I can't get you some painkillers?" The medic's voice shook.

Spidey just shook his head, no. He knew those things wouldn't work on his spider-sense.

"Are you ok now?" the fireman asked with concern.

"Yeah," Spidey nodded. "Yeah, it's getting better now."

"What were you doing?" asked the medic, directing her question at the fireman.

He looked up. "Oh, well, I just thought- he said it was a danger sense, that if I counteracted the feeling of threat with good vibes, it might help it ease." He shrugged.

"So you held his head and projected safe thoughts?" the medic stared.

"Ugh, yeah," the man said, accepting his logic.

"How would he pick up non-threatening thoughts from someone?"

"I considered if he picks up threatening thoughts, then it might work both ways."

"But that's not possible..."

Spidey ignored the debate going on above him over how his spider-senses worked, and just stayed silent. He was somewhat in shock. He'd never had someone do something so thoughtfully moving and uniquely kind for him. It brought a lump to his throat and a tight feeling to his chest. If he was to be honest with himself, he hadn't even _thought_ of that. His spider-sense was most likely _far_ more complex than he knew. And he may not ever know everything about the complex functions of his body, but he had to say, it was a thoughtful act towards him. More thoughtful than most things he'd encountered in the past.

A low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, and Spidey looked up at the street. The sky was no longer the bright blue it had been earlier in the day, and now had a light cover of greying cloud. A slight breeze had picked up, giving the area that pre-storm feeling.

As if sensing his thoughts, the fireman quickly looked up at the sky, before shifting to pick him up, slowly moving him under the awning in case it rained.

"Wouldn't want you to get wet," he teased, smiling slightly, while looking back at the clouds after he'd laid him back down. That's when Spidey took in where he was. He had been lying on a soft blanket on the ground out the front of a local store. Another was folded up neatly under his head (they'd been shifted with him when he'd been moved). The area was slightly shielded by merchandise that was for sale, so it gave him some slight cover from the local pedestrians moving about: although he could tell his presence wasn't completely unknown.

The ambulance sat parked a little down the road, the other paramedic now standing at the door. Waiting. He obviously didn't feel his presence was any longer necessary.

As if on cue, the current paramedic's communicator buzzed.

"Bus four, come in. What's your status?"

"We're still here with Spider-Man," the medic quickly answered.

"How's he doing?" The voice sounded mildly compassionate.

"He's still down."

"Any estimate of when you'll be done?"

She paused, looking over at him sadly. "Not at this time, no."

"Alright, I'll check back in later. Take care of our hero."

"I will, over," she said with a smile, and put away her communicator.

Silence surrounded the small group of three for a moment, before the thunder rumbled through the atmosphere again, breaking the stillness.

"Looks like it's gonna be a rough one. Hope I closed the windows in the truck," the fireman commented, gazing at the clouds building up ahead.

Spidey remained lying on the ground, but an incredible sense of unease suddenly came over him, not quite like his normal spider-sense. It went deeper, tingling in his bones. Something was wrong.

He stretched out slightly, uncomfortable, and made a small noise of distress in the back of his throat. The fireman immediately sensed his unease, and rested a hand gently against his chest. As he did so, the man could immediately feel the frantic beating of Spidey's heart beneath his palm. His face pulled in a frown.

Spidey could see the concern on the man's face, but there was nothing he could do about it – he was just as baffled over his circumstance as they were. He didn't protest though, as he attempted to lay back and relax, but the growing unease within him just continued to increase.

There was a large crack of thunder nearby, and an eerie, familiar feeling tingled all the way up his spine - something in the back of his mind trying to gain his attention.

Something was really, really wrong.

He moved. Both the medic and fireman were startled as out of nowhere, Spidey suddenly jumped up, leapt to the awning above them in one quick bound, and was swinging away on a web which was quickly shot from his wrist.

There was a few seconds pause as they both stared after Spider-Man, before the fireman made a quick decision. He jumped up from his position and ran for a nearby cab. Something in his gut told him to follow Spidey - something telling him that things weren't quite right.

Hastily declaring a few orders to the driver, he got in, and the cabbie quickly started driving in the direction of the web-slinging hero.

* * *

Spidey leapt through the city as fast as he could, getting closer and closer to where he felt the most unease.

Finally crawling around the side of a building, he pattered across the large, glass windows of a skyscraper. He stopped, the hairs standing up on the back of his neck and his head pounding: that strange feeling of needing to run and hide returning. This was the place.

A large droplet of water landed on his mask-covered nose, before many other, similar ones began to hit the surfaces around him in big, heavy splashes, falling down to the ground as it began to rain. Another rumble of thunder sounded as a flash of light lit up the sky above him.

As he was gazing around, looking for any sort of trouble, he was interrupted by a peculiar tapping on the glass.

Spidey snapped his head towards it.

He gazed at the reflection of himself in the window for a second, before he focused past that, and his breath hitched in his throat. There was a woman standing on the other side of the glass, several other curious-looking people beyond, and he realised he was perched sideways on the window, many stories up in the air, in front of none other than office cubicles.

The woman had placed her own hand against where his suction-cup-like one was placed, and had been posing excitedly for photos.

Spidey's head shifted around as he gazed back at all the people; wide, masked eyes staring - zeroing them out. It would seem he'd attracted quite an audience.

Spidey shifted his hands slightly in awkwardness, before he gave them a friendly wave.

Many of them waved back.

"Sorry, you don't mind if a spider perches here for a bit, do you?" he asked.

Just then, his spider-sense buzzed loudly, and he snapped his bug-eyed gaze back down to the street.

* * *

Aaron was nervous. Something clenching in his gut, as he guided the cabbie to follow the skittering figure leaping around the buildings. He was following him closely with his eyes, determined not to lose him.

The cabbie swerved almost dangerously through traffic, eyes wide and a little unsettled by the directions he was being given, before Spidey suddenly came to a halt.

"Pull over!" Aaron yelled, and the cabbie hastily obliged, as he opened the door, getting out almost before the vehicle had stopped moving, closing it behind him with a thunk.

Spidey was stopped on the side of a building. He'd crawled along the edge, and was now rested on one of the glass windows.

Aaron watched closely as he slowly walked forward, not straying his eyes from the small, supernatural being perched several stories above the ground, wondering what it possibly could be that he was doing.

* * *

Lightning flashed, and Spidey jumped, curling in on himself protectively. If he were a bird, he probably would have puffed up his feathers. The people in the room began to stare, giving him odd looks, never having seen Spidey act so strange and skittish. That's when they saw it.

Spidey immediately took notice when expressions of fear suddenly passed over his curious spectators' faces, and became confused as the first few began to back away. But they weren't looking at him, they were looking _past_ him. Spidey turned.

The previously dark, stormy sky had turned an ominous, ugly green. The clouds were beginning to shift and circle, turning into a funnel-shaped –

Spidey's eyes widened in alarm as he realised what was happening, the powerful spider-sense buzzing in his head and down his spine now overlooked as his focus turned below towards the ground, the buildings around them, to the _people_.

Realisation came to him in a sudden shockwave, as he figured what he had to do.

* * *

Aaron saw it at about the same time as Spidey, and immediately came to the same conclusion as the superhero.

He needed to clear the area.

Keeping an eye on Spidey, he immediately began to yell at the crowd, drawing their attention...

* * *

"Run! You all need to get out of here, now!"

The crowd was alarmed by the sudden onslaught from both the local, web-swinging hero and the fireman, as Spidey seemed to appear from nowhere, jumping down in the middle of them from somewhere up above.

They didn't need to be told twice, as the bulk of them began to move, recognising the hero's authority.

* * *

Spidey's mind was in a panic. He'd never personally experienced something like this so up close before, especially as a superhero, and that which was _not_ caused by super-villains. He was at a loss for what to do, as he watched the menacing clouds develop into only something that could be described as a tornado.

It was only small, but he'd seen how much damage these things could do, and how quickly they could grow. Luckily, he'd managed to wave the crowd back, and they'd all moved considerably far away, or run, with the assisting help from the fireman – something which he was very grateful for in this moment. He must have followed him here.

He watched the man for a second, as he ushered people away into the buildings and behind locked doors, talking sense into the panicked. He was good at his job.

It was when his eyes roamed back to the twister currently eating away at the concrete, that the relief from the quick efforts he and his helper had pulled in the last few minutes dropped. There were a woman and child still out in the crossfire.

He ran in without thinking, immediately feeling the wind pull at his form, as he grabbed onto the vehicle the child was currently stuck in, barely even noticing the rain that fell, drowning them all in a torrential downpour.

Lightning cracked somewhere nearby, jarring them, the woman crying, panicked, as Spidey gripped at the buckles on the booster seat, ripping them off with one tug of strength.

It all happened so fast, and thinking back on it later, Spidey would be alarmed by the speed of it all, as one minute he was shepherding the pair towards safety, the next he was literally throwing himself over them.

It had approached too fast; there was no way he could pull them both away in time, not fighting against the gale of wind currently pulling at them, so he did the only thing his screaming brain could come up with.

He shoved the mother down towards the ground - the child cradled in her arms, and spread himself over her back. His form was hardly big enough to cover them both completely, but he did all he could.

He braced his hands to the ground on either side of the mother's shoulders; his legs tucked carefully behind the pair, and gripped the solid concrete with all his strength, adhering himself to the ground with his sticky hands and feet. He tucked his chin over the mother's head, and clung on with all his might.

The torrential pull of wind hit him, and he screamed, doing everything in his power to protect them.

Time seemed to stand still. Minutes, hours, days could have passed as the full pull of the tornado hit his muscles, which strained to hold up against the pressure.

He couldn't remember doing something quite like this before, normally he'd just move _away_ from the disastrous phenomenon, or get caught up _in it_ should a villain be the cause. Never in his memory had he flat out gone _against_ one. And it _hurt_.

He held on. He had to hold on, as his eyes widened in shock, and his fingers strained to keep their grip. He felt the mother pull her child closer towards her chest.

His muscles began to shake. The air was pulling; it was hard to breathe, his mask not providing much assistance. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes as he gritted his teeth, groaning and whining. But he had no choice; he had to fight, fight for the lives of his precious charge. He had to try, or he'd never forgive himself, and the guilt of giving up would forever plague him...

The child was screaming, but he could hardly hear her against the deafening roar.

It was becoming too much, and he knew it. The pain was excruciating, every muscle burning. He let out one last scream of agony, before everything stopped.

Barely able to register the fact that it was gone, he collapsed, having nothing left to give, and lay limp, sprawled over the pair he'd just saved.

* * *

Tracy was in shock. A simple drive to the park had ended in horror when the weather took a sudden turn for the worst. Her baby, a small girl of only three, had been stuck in the booster seat. She'd raced from the front seat of the car to try and remove her as the clouds blew ominously closer.

A blur of red and blue had rushed over. The next thing she knew, her daughter was out and being shoved into her arms before she was being pushed along from behind.

Then, she was shoved to the ground, her daughters head tucked gently to her chest, Spider-Man splayed over the both of them, screaming as he clung impossibly to the ground with only his hands and feet.

Tears sprung to Tracy's eyes as the wind ripped at them, and she whispered soothing words of comfort as her daughter wailed in terror. She closed her eyes and held her daughter as close to her as she possibly could; tightening her hold, just waiting for it to pass.

Slow, controlled breaths moved in and out of her lungs as she calmed her racing heart, before the noise died down, and a sudden weight fell on her back.

Tracy blinked for a second in confusion, before she realised what'd happened. The superhero who'd risked his life to save theirs had just collapsed on her back.

Her heart began racing anew and her mind matched, spinning with frantic thoughts. She kept completely still, and just listened. Yes, he was breathing, and if she paid attention, she could feel his heart beating against her back. She let out a relieved breath.

She decided to shift slightly, carefully trying to move him off, when she caught sight of it...the tornado was coming back.

In that moment, her heart went cold. She shifted and shook at him. She even elbowed him in the ribs. He only moaned.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Hey, wake up!"

She wriggled, trying to gain his attention, and panic rose high in her throat, as the column of air rushed closer.

She judged the distance to the nearest safe area. ' _Could they make it there_...?'

From their current position, she concluded, no. They only had one choice.

Whacking him in the side again, tears began to pour from her eyes, and she heard her daughter whimper, sobbing silently. She must be so confused...

As a last attempt, she reached beneath her and managed to pull out her water bottle from her black shoulder bag. Unwinding the lid, she awkwardly twisted so that the masked man's head was resting over her shoulder.

She stared back at the obscure, wide, insect-like lenses for a split second, before throwing some of the cold water over his head.

"WAKE UP!"

* * *

Spidey awoke with a jump, noise and chaos slowly coming to him through his hazy mind. That...that and the screaming of his spider-sense. He registered his position, registered the growing tornado speeding closer, the vague memories of the previous minutes trickling back into his mind.

He moved, and was immediately made aware of the exhausted, strained pain in his muscles, but he ignored it. Fighting against his instincts, he once again grabbed onto the ground and re-took his protective stance, taking in heaving breaths. He barely even noticed as a water bottle was shakily raised towards his mouth. He lifted his chin slightly from the woman's shoulder as she twisted slightly to raise his mask.

He took in several long, deep gulps, thankfully, before it was removed, and he gritted his teeth, preparing himself to once again stand up to the powerful force. He couldn't help but wonder when, and if, it would all be over, and whether or not the three of them would survive the experience. It was a miracle they hadn't been hit by flying debris already, or the concrete hadn't been ripped up...

* * *

Tracy whispered a silent prayer as the second bout hit them.

The pressure seemed to go on forever, the roar deafening, and she prayed for the spider, currently shielding their lives from the destructive force of nature surrounding them.

* * *

Silent. It was silent as the column of air finally moved off, eating up everything in its path as it went further down the street, where no one else was in harm's way.

The sirens wailed through her head as she looked up to see a throng of emergency vehicles arrive – rushing to the scene.

The paramedics and emergency personnel surrounded them, many with looks of shock at what they'd found - the small bundle of three, very much alive and breathing, curled in the middle of the destruction.

The hero they owed their lives to was gently pulled off her back and laid on the ground, medics getting to work, checking his vitals and yelling things out which were hazy through her deafened ears.

More medics immediately got to attending both of them, checking for wounds and cuts, only to find them...miraculously fine.

A man in a fireman's uniform ran out of one of the buildings nearby and knelt beside the spider-themed hero, who now had an oxygen mask placed over his mouth. Tracy watched as the man placed a gentle hand on the hero's chest as he was being loaded onto a stretcher, his warm eyes keeping a careful and protective eye over his form. She knew her rescuer was in good hands.

Her eyes then never left the hero as he disappeared into the back of an ambulance.

* * *

Spidey awoke slowly, resting against a soft, warm bed. A gentle beeping sound filled his ears as he peeled his eyes open beneath the lenses.

He took in the room slowly as his awareness came back to him, immediately recognising it as a hospital room. Not a place he ever liked to wake up in as Spider-Man...

A warm, blue blanket was draped over his form, tucked in at the edges, and something...

Spidey turned his head slightly.

Under his chin, resting in the crook of his arm was a large, soft teddy bear.

"It belonged to the young girl, Izzy. She insisted on giving it to you when she visited earlier, and tucked it there herself. No one's dared move it."

Spidey looked up. The medic with the green eyes who'd attended to him earlier was sitting vigil in the chair next to his bed, smiling gently at him.

"Izzy?" he asked.

"The girl you saved earlier with her mother. Her name's Izzy."

Spidey swallowed, resting back against the pillow. He looked at the teddy. It appeared well worn, brown, and had a smile stitched into its friendly face. He couldn't help it when a lone tear trickled down his face.

"How long was I out?"

"For most of the evening. It's around ten o'clock at night. You really pushed yourself to the limit out there."

"Are they alright? Were they hurt?" His voice rose slightly in panic.

The medic smiled. "No, both mother and daughter are fine. Thanks to your efforts, though. That was quite impressive. I think you moved the whole city."

Spidey sighed. "Good, that's good...I did it." His voice trailed off in a whisper, as a weight lifted off his shoulders and he could finally rest.

"How's the spider-sense?"The question came, breaking through the heavy silence.

Spidey paused. He listened to his surroundings, felt deeply within his senses –

"It's...gone. Quiet. There's...there's nothing there anymore. It's silent."

He could audibly hear as the woman sighed, before he was looking back at a green-eyed smile, full of compassion and understanding.

After a minute, he suddenly thought of something. "Where's the fireman? He was there, on the ground, getting people to safety -"

Her smile seemed to get even bigger. "He was here for a while, traveled the whole way in the ambulance with you. He was determined to make sure you were alright. He left only a few hours ago to help with the clean up. Quite a hero I must say, always wanting to give a helping hand."

' _A helping hand_.' Spidey smiled slightly. ' _Yes. That was exactly how to describe it_.'

A weight of heavy exhaustion fell over him, and he groaned lightly.

"Rest, don't worry. I'm staying right here."

And rest he did, until he was quietly let out of the hospital the next morning.

His limbs were still sore and his strength waned, but his heart was full, teddy clung close to his chest, as he swung to the early morning sun rising in the east, painting the darkness with a golden hue as it broke through the inky black.

The early morning risers watched their TV's as they listened to the story of the local hero's moving efforts and sacrifice. They marveled at his willpower to fight through such odds, and escape to the other side relatively unscathed. For some, it even gave them hope, hope that they could also fight against such odds in their lives and survive.

The strength that one individual had to fight against the extreme, and save two lives, inspired others to hold on just a little longer, and believe that the sun, or the clear open sky, would come again.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed reading this :) I based this on the idea that Spidey might pick up on natural dangers/weather phenomena a lot like animals do, only amplified with his spider-sense. I thought it might be an interesting idea. And he might not know directly what it meant at first either. Just food for thought :)**

 **Now, I don't know when I will be able to upload next, as my schedule may be a bit unpredictable for a while, but in the mean time I've done a few other Spider-Man stories involving characters from the Avengers which you can find listed on my profile that you can read in the mean time, in case you missed them. I also have a short original story I've uploaded on fictionpress under the same username you might enjoy. Oh yes! And I now have a Tumblr blog too, where you can come and follow me, chat, nerd out about headcanons etc, and keep up to date with my writing activity :)**

 **So, until next time, have a nice day :)**


	26. Inner Flash

**Hey. Long time no see? My muse kinda...withered down on me. It lay on the floor and wouldn't get up, claiming exhaustion. I poked it and prodded it, and hung around for a while, until one day I turned around and it slapped me in the face. Like an octupus...yes.**

 **Well, I had a lot of requests for one with Flash Thompson agggeess ago. So, this is the result. Enjoy :)**

 **Warning: Slight injury description.**

* * *

Spidey hopped across the fire escape. He leaned heavily against the railing for a second, before hauling himself up on the edge, right leg hanging behind him, muscles shaking, as he carefully tucked it beneath him. The other leg was being used to support his weight as he sat in a hesitant crouch.

He took a few, deep breaths, before reaching out to the wall with his fingers, and carefully slinking across - crawling along the worn bricks. Shadows flickered across his back as he moved, before he reached the next fire escape, and again climbed up the railing.

He practically collapsed onto the grated surface with a groan.

He had outdone himself. He was only a few blocks away from home, a few blocks away from where he could patch himself up, but he was in too much pain. His leg screamed in agony, and it only intensified with every step he'd take, every fire escape he'd manoeuvre...every building he'd climb. It was too much, left for too long, and it was taking its toll.

Pulling himself up, he shot a web to the other side of the street, and swung across, grabbing a hold of the stairs of another fire escape. His leg screamed from the sudden jarring movement, and dots danced across his vision. His fingers slipped.

He slammed into the ground, leg colliding with the pavement, and he could barely withhold the agonised scream which tore itself from his chest, quickly degrading into pained whimpers.

Slowly, he rolled over onto his side, panting for breath, and curled in on himself, like a dying spider. His weary limbs twitched as he fought the pain, and he glanced a look down at his wounded leg. It was darkened from blood, a nasty cut running along his calf from something he'd crashed into in battle. His enemy had just left him there, alone to suffer; no longer considering him worth their time, and he'd had to fight his way home, injured leg dragging behind him, crawling through the darkened city.

Letting out another whimper, he pulled the shaking limb closer towards himself protectively, before letting his head fall against the pavement.

He lay there. It was the only thing he could currently bare to do.

* * *

Flash walked down the darkened, empty street with his friend, Marco, from where they'd just visited the corner shop, carrying several bags of groceries.

Marco was tapping away on his phone with one hand, while Flash "Eugene" Thompson shifted a six pack of beer under one arm, balancing the rest of the bags in his hand. Of course, the beer wasn't for him, but he had to keep his father happy somehow...though, that wasn't something he liked to think about.

Letting out a large sigh, Flash turned to his high school buddy to say something. But just as he shifted his head, words forming on the tip of his tongue, he caught sight of something in the corner of his eye.

A figure flitted across the street.

Flash wondered if he was seeing things for a minute, daily stress getting to his head, before something moved from the shadows.

Flash's heart went cold as he watched the red and blue figure fall from the wall and slam into the ground. The scream unleashed ripped at his stomach, as the figure seemed to spasm and shake, curling in on itself as if in agony, squeezing up into a tight little ball, heart-wrenching whimpers emerging from its form, before going still.

Flash dropped the shopping bags and beer in a clatter, leaving his confused friend behind, and raced towards the figure in a burst of unknowingly possessed speed.

Carefully, he collapsed to his knees, kneeling at the downed spider's side. He was curled up so tight, Flash feared he was _dead_ , that he was too late... that he'd failed to save his beloved vigilante when he was in need of _help._ But as Flash watched closely, the spider flinched, and he picked up on the minute shaking of his limbs.

Gazing at the form before him, Flash noticed his wounded limb, and carefully leant over to touch the injured appendage, trying to move his other leg out of the way so he could—

Spidey started, as if jumped awake from a hazy dream, head swivelling around to look at him, and immediately started backing away, injured leg dragging limply behind him, as he pressed himself against the wall. Flash noticed that Spidey was panting, chest heaving up and down, large goggled eye lenses staring at him.

It was then Flash realised that he was _scared_.

* * *

Spidey was most alarmed and horrified to be startled from his daze at the feel of the light touch on his spandex covered leg, and even more startled when the blurry face of Flash Thompson had swum into his vision, looking down at him. He'd panicked, his mind a haze of pain and fatigue, and scrambled back against the wall, despite the reignited pain in his leg.

He swallowed, his mouth dry, and mindlessly grabbed at the seam of his mask, as if to secure it more firmly over his head - to protect his identity. Flash was more than just his former high school bully, beating him up in the school halls, he was also a massive Spider-Man fan, bordering on obsessive. A Spider-Man fan that currently had him lying here cornered, on the pavement, helpless and vulnerable. He had to get out of here...

Summoning every last ounce of strength from deep within his bones, Spidey began to push himself up onto his hands and knees, his foggy mind desperately telling him to get away from his former tormenter.

"No, Spidey. It's alright!" Flash yelled in alarm, but the reassurance came too late. The last effort pushed Spidey over the edge, and his limbs collapsed, vision once again swimming with black spots, and he fell back in a heap on the pavement, panting painfully.

"Holy...! Is that _Spider-Man_?"

Spidey was barely aware of the other teen that made his way towards them, slowly kneeling on the ground next to Flash a few feet from where his form lay limply.

"Yeah, Marco. Can you run home and get the first aid kit?! Please? Get the first aid kit!" Spidey heard through muffled hearing, along with the sound of scuffling footsteps. He wasn't even sure how much time had passed, before he was subconsciously flinching away from Flash's hand when it came to rest on his arm; curling up tighter from his known "enemy" instinctively.

But Flash was speaking, and he attempted to focus his fuzzy mind on making out the words.

"It's alright, dude. You're gonna be alright. We're going take good care of you. Ok?" he heard. He looked up, and found Flash looking down at him with an unusually sympathetic look, eyes uncharacteristically soft, and he was surprised.

* * *

Flash looked down at the wide bug lenses as they gazed up at him, before the costumed man relaxed, and let his head once again rest against the pavement, his panting breaths easing somewhat.

Looking at him close up now, the guy was so small, all lean muscle with a skinny build. So different in person to how he appeared on TV, and Flash felt absolutely huge against him. He'd always imagined the guy to be big and tough, like a pro wrestler, but judging by the small figure lying before him, that was not the case.

Flash was in awe; he'd seen this guy dodge bullets, lift trucks, swing by a thread from skyscrapers, and fight _super-villains_. How could one so little pull off such feats? But he also felt sad, because right now that amazing hero was sprawled helplessly on the ground in front of him, shaking, and in obvious pain.

Letting out a slow breath, Flash tentatively reached down, and carefully wound his fingers around one red and blue clad leg. He paused as Spider-Man tensed slightly, before carefully lifting it out of the way, revealing his wounded calf. He hissed, as he viewed the damage, before gently curling his hands around the leg to lift it slightly, and get a better look.

Spidey let out a gasp; his breathing hitched, and Flash noticed the way in which the limb was shaking.

He took a deep breath, pulling himself together, before feeling around the outside of the wound, trying to gauge the damage.

Spidey cried out, the sound pained and half strangled, and Flash found himself shushing the downed spider.

"Hey, it's alright, man. It's alright."

Flash was surprised at himself; he'd never seen himself as the caring type, but shoved it to the back of his mind, as Marco came back.

"Hey, man. Is he alright?" His friend asked, panicked, as he dumped the worn first aid kit on the ground, not taking his eyes off the wounded spider. His face was white, ashen; he was obviously not handling this as well as Flash was.

"It's his leg, it's pretty cut up. Can you go and get the beer?" Flash ordered, giving his friend something to do.

Holding Spidey's leg with one hand, he used the other to open the kit, quickly rummaging round through the contents.

Finding what he needed, he pulled out a needle and some thread, and a packet of bandages, and began setting it up, unwinding the thread and preparing the needle. He then used a cloth to wipe away some of the blood from the wound, pulling back the spandex.

"I've got the beer," Marco said, as he dumped it on the ground, once again staring at Spidey's whimpering form.

"Hold him," Flash said, and Marco looked at him in confusion for a second. "Go help him, this is gonna hurt," Flash reinforced, looking his friend in the eyes. He was happy to see Marco comply, taking his eyes off the wound, and walking over towards Spidey's head.

He knelt down as Flash took the lid off one of the bottles, but still looked unsure.

"Just hold him. Trust me, he'll thank you for it later," Flash ordered, beginning to lose his cool. He pushed down the fanboy inside of him, holding the bottle of alcohol out over his favourite hero's leg. He didn't want to, but this had to be done...

He gritted his teeth, and poured it on.

Flash closed his eyes as Spidey screamed, the harsh liquid sanitising his leg, his limbs jerking in a half-hearted attempt to get away.

"I'm sorry, Spidey. I'm so sorry," Flash couldn't help but drawl, as the spider whimpered and thrashed, clinging onto Marco for dear life.

Marco's eyes were wide, stressed tears running down his face, but Spidey's gloved fingers clawed at him, clasping at the straps of his backpack - desperately clinging to the fabric of his jacket unintentionally. Marco responded to the act of subconscious vulnerability, and Flash smiled as he saw his large, tough friend hesitantly reach down and take the small hero's hand into his own. The reaction was immediate, as Spidey slowly relaxed, some of the tension ebbing away.

Flash stopped pouring alcohol on the wound and quickly cleaned it up, heavily practised from all the nights of abuse from his dad, getting ready to stitch it closed.

"You know," Flash started, offering words of comfort to the hero, "I didn't ever imagine myself as being the good guy, helping others who'd got beat up. Not so long ago, I was the one who actually did the beating," he admitted.

Flash paused, noticing how the hero had suddenly stilled, listening, and continued; fingers beginning to work.

"Ever since the beginning of high school, I always used to beat other kids up, you know, for their lunch money, homework etc. I realised, though, that I was only doing it to cover up the pain from my dad, to make me feel better about myself when my own life was trash. I felt so good about myself, powerful." He smirked slightly, a sad smile spreading across his face. His fingers continued to work.

"There was this kid, Peter, such a nerdy guy. Science geek, glasses, you know the type. Well, anyway, he was my favourite, as in, I'd always take it all out on him. Such a skinny dude, never fought back. I thought I could get away with it. Then one day, he faced me, got me real even with a basketball trick." Flash laughed, remembering the event. "He got me back real good. But, then his Uncle died that night, and, I don't know, man, I just felt guilty. He was so lost, and I knew I'd caused him so much pain. And then, and then you arrived."

Spidey shifted his head.

"And, well, I guess you could say you really showed me something. What you do really stuck with me, and...I just couldn't do it anymore, I couldn't bully. It just felt...wrong. So, I chose to be more like you."

Silence fell over the group, Spidey's gaze staring at him intently, with his head curled up on his friend's lap. It was an odd site to see.

"Anyway, I-I guess I just wanted to tell you that, man, And that you're an inspiration to a lot of us folk out there." He nodded his head. "You do a good job."

Flash closed the lid of the first aid kit with a thump, and pushed it away. "All done," he said.

Spidey stared down at his leg, and Flash was amused to find he didn't even seem to have realised that he'd completed treating the wound. His glossy lenses gazed up at them both again, before he pushed his elbows against the ground and stood up to his feet, one leg hovering hesitantly above the pavement. He took a few deep breaths as he steadied himself, standing slightly shorter than Flash in full, before he spoke.

"Thank you." He said, voice sounding oddly thick, before he turned, limping over to a fire escape. He reached up, trying to grasp the metal, but his fingers came just shy of touching it in his wounded state, the hero not quite tall enough.

Letting out a deep sigh, Flash walked up behind the hero, and grabbed him around the waist, hefting him up. Spidey clambered onto the fire escape, and crouched on the edge, red-booted feet secured precariously to the metal.

He looked back at him, glossy lenses shining in the dark, the rest of him once again coated in deep red and blue shadow, before clambering away with a few soft clattering noises, disappearing into the streets rooftops.

Flash tore his eyes away from where the hero had perched but a second ago, and looked at his friend, standing there awkwardly on the street. He smiled, before going and clapping him on the back, walking over to pick up their dumped groceries, and meander back to the house.

A warm feeling floated deeply through Flash's chest. He'd just managed to help someone, and _Spider-Man_ at that. If he took things one day at a time, he might just get somewhere someday. Maybe even eventually become a _hero_ himself.

Flash smiled at the thought, before walking up the front steps. A guy can only dream...

* * *

 **Who doesn't love Flash? The bully turned good guy. Also, that was a nod to a certain Agent Venom who appears in many Spider-Man timelines :)  
**


	27. The Woes of Illness

**Warning! Fluff overload. I did warn you :P**

 **This is a request from LuvFiction Xxxx**

* * *

Spidey stumbled slightly as he walked away from the scene. He'd just stopped a would-be-rapist in what had been the longest string of trouble happening he'd encountered in a while within New York City – all throughout the night and into the next day. His head was pounding, and he felt more and more dizzy with each passing moment that went by. But he'd carried on, carried on because with each second he didn't give up, another life could be saved, another crime prevented, and another child home safe to their family.

A horrific cough racked through his aching throat and he had to lean against a wall for support, resting his burning forehead against the cool brick – he was sure he had a fever. And it didn't help that a guy had managed to get the better of him earlier, due to his growing weakness, and had wrapped a strong, meaty hand around his slender neck.

Suddenly, a scream tore through the air from a few alleys over, and Spidey's head whipped up, slightly unfocused, in its direction. Without stopping to consider his condition, he began to stride over - a little unsteadily. He quickly broke into a jog, then a run, before he was tearing across the road and down the sidewalk. Though, because of Spidey's feverish, disorientated state, he failed to notice the many pairs of highly concerned eyes currently following his every move, boring into his skinny red and blue back. Those eyes happened to have been doing so more and more - increasing as time went by - and had laid witness to his little moment of weakness. The fact that he was on foot, a very unusual sight for Spider-Man, also didn't bear well with their growing concern.

"Hey!" Spidey yelled, slightly tired, but angry - all his quips having left him in his mind-numbing state of exhaustion - and barrelled into a man who was currently beating up another man for his cash, sending him sailing to the ground. He went over and picked up the wallet that had been dropped in the process (struggling not to keel over) and handed it back to the twenty-odd-year-old man with scruffy brown hair, who was taking deep breaths from his place near the opening of the alleyway.

"Here's your wal-let," he found himself slurring, as he clumsily dumped the small leather item against the man's chest and into his hands, before leaning over on his knees, oddly winded. He stayed there for far too long, blinking his eyes behind the lenses in attempts to clear his blurry vision and ease his pounding headache, but, he hadn't thought through his actions properly.

Suddenly, there was a distressed yell, followed by another shout of what sounded like, "look out!" His spider-sense flared, causing him to scream out and clutch his hands to his head as it wreaked havoc with his headache, before a fist suddenly made contact with the back of his skull.

He hit the ground reeling. Two hands clamped down on his shoulders, and yanked him unsteadily to his feet. He thought he heard someone say, "how dare you, ya little punk!" before another fist was heading towards his jaw. Spidey tried to shift back, pulling his arms up in front of himself defensively as he slammed against the wall, too weak and disorientated to defend himself. But it never made contact.

Another hand intervened, slamming his attacker's hard moments before his fist could reach him, grabbing the criminal and dragging him away. Then there were two people, three, as New Yorkers seemed to pile in from everywhere, landing on the guy until he could no longer get up. Trapped.

Spidey tried to breathe, but the edges of his vision were going dark and he swayed. He turned towards the wall and slapped his hands against it, before crawling hastily, but slowly, out of the alley.

"Hey, hey, hey. Spidey!" he heard a male voice yell, before hands were reaching out to him. He immediately flinched, squeezing back against the contact with the brick wall behind him, pulling his hands up defensively as if being further attacked.

"No! No, it's alright. It's alright, Spidey. You're not being hurt anymore, you're not in danger. You're fine. See?" the man (who Spidey couldn't currently make out the face of) said, holding his hands up non-threateningly. He then looked over his shoulder at the other New Yorkers and yelled, "Hey...hey! I'm gonna need some help over here!" before focusing back on the confused hero.

Spidey gasped for breath, chest heaving against the pain in his head - throughout his entire body - before finding himself leaning down further against the wall, unable to fully support his own weight anymore.

More people immediately came over, and a woman's face was suddenly in his, while another man placed his hands against his side. "Spider-Man. Spidey, can you hear me? You're going to need to lie down, ok? Lie down," she coaxed, before he had at least four people gently easing him to the ground.

Spidey gasped, the relief overwhelming as his head was rested, chest heaving in desperate gulps, before he felt a soft hand brush against his masked forehead.

"Oh great, he's burning up," he heard the woman say in alarm, before there were a few mumbled words.

"We should call an ambulance," one of the men said, and Spidey jolted, suddenly trying to heave himself up on his elbows, blindly reaching a hand out to cling to the wall above him while shaking his head, intending to climb up.

A hospital in his current state would be a _bad_ idea. He didn't fully trust how the staff may treat him.

"Whoa, ok, ok," another voice said and he was firmly grabbed so he could escape no further, a pair of hands clasping gently at his own.

"Spidey, let go. Come on, let go," they said as they firmly gripped it, trying to pry it off, but Spidey stubbornly refused to let go of the wall.

"He obviously doesn't want to go to a hospital," he heard.

"Well, that may be understandable. He probably has good reasons," someone else said thoughtfully, before there was a pause.

"We won't take you to the hospital, Spidey, ok? We _won't_. You have to trust us," a young woman's voice then piped in strongly, and something inside him finally seemed to relax. He let go of the wall.

Slowly, he was laid back down again, and a gentle hand began to stroke his head through the mask, lightly massaging the spot between his two eye lenses on his brow. It was soothing. He swallowed, soon finding himself calming at the touch. Was it possible that it was easing his headache? He let out a small, relieved whimper.

Silence seemed to surround them for a moment, and he blinked his eyes open, apparently having closed them, to see his vision slowly clearing. A dozen faces were looking down at him. They seemed curious, fascinated, almost perplexed by his reaction. Was it that they hadn't expected him to react to such kindness? Did they not think he ever hurt? That he ever needed it? Had most New Yorkers dehumanised him that much? Or made him out to be some perfect being?

Spidey looked away and sighed, resting his head once again against the cool bricks, looking for further relief from the burning against his skin. It was then that another round of painful, racking coughs hit his body, making him shake and shudder, and his throat to scream as it was torn with the strain. Spidey whimpered, letting out a deep groan as the fit finally subsided, and he came to notice a hand was carefully rubbing circles on his back, as he'd curled in further against the wall.

Someone unexpectedly gripped him under the arms and turned him over, so he could come face to face with an elderly man. His grey/blue eyes bore deep into his mask curiously, and his brow knitted in heavy concern. After finishing his gaze the man turned down to his side, where he started rummaging through a brown leather bag, the colour not that much unlike his father's old briefcase.

Spidey shook the thoughts from his mind as the man brought out a small flashlight, and shone it towards his lenses. Spidey flinched at the extra light, it causing his head to spike in pain, and tried to curl his face against the wall again. The man then reached out a hand to feel his forehead, frowning as he seemed unsatisfied, before holding the torch up again.

"Spidey, can you open your mouth for me, please?" he asked politely, a hand curling around the side of his jaw. Spidey tried to turn away. "Can you open your mouth for me?" he then repeated, a bit firmer, as he tried to slip a thumb under the seam of his mask. Spidey sagged, too weak to put up a fight, and tilted his head back so he could lift it above his mouth, before opening up wide.

"Good boy. Good boy." The man almost chanted, as he shone the torch down Spidey's throat, trying to get as good a look as he could under the circumstances, and Spidey opened his mouth wider and tilted his head back further as the man coaxed him to do so. Finally, he pulled back and switched the torch off, pinching the bridge of his nose, and Spidey rested back down with a sigh, quickly pulling the mask protectively down over his mouth.

"If I would say so correctly, I'd say he's got one nasty dose of the flu. He won't be going anywhere for a while," he said, the last part almost sadly with a tinge of worry, as he flitted his eyes around the street, like he was looking out for some sort of danger. "He needs rest," he then added. _'He couldn't possibly be feeling protective of him, could he?'_

Suddenly, the soothing hand was back at his head, and he allowed himself to relax once again into their comfort, previous thoughts melting from his mind.

"Umm, hello, hi, umm...I run the shop just here, next door. Is there anything he needs?" A quiet and nervous sounding voice came from somewhere behind him, obviously having been watching the slightly sad encounter.

"Oh, yes, if you happen to have any cough medicine to soothe his throat?" the man he recognised as the doctor responded. "It looks pretty sore."

"Yes, yes I do. Just an ordinary one?"

"Yep, that would be great," the doctor replied.

"Ok," they said, before all was silent again. He heard the doctor sigh, before shifting, and two fingers were placed gently on his throat.

Spidey yelled in alarm and pain, scrambling back madly in distress and clinging to the wall, gasping as his throat ached painfully, swallowing against the slight swelling. A shudder went through his form as his dizziness spiked from rising so suddenly.

"Whoa, whoa, it's alright, Spidey. I wasn't going to hurt you," the doctor reassured, raising his arms peacefully.

Spidey ignored him, focusing on breathing in and out, deeper and deeper...

"Do you want me to take a look at that?" the doctor then asked softly after a few minutes had passed, keeping steady eye contact with the vigilante. "Are you hurt?" he added, slowly shifting forwards.

Spidey lowered his head to the wall, before rolling over on his back, once again resting on the ground.

The doctor came up next to him, and gently removed the spandex from spidey's neck, resting it just under his chin.

An array of gasps sounded from around him, before skilled fingers carefully ghosted over the painful, previously unnoticed coloured bruises just forming on his throat. The man sighed yet again, this time an extreme air of sadness to the sound, before yelling to whoever had been talking before from the nearby shop.

"Hey, can you add some cream for bruising too?" he said. It seemed only moments later that hurried footsteps could be heard, and someone knelt down beside him.

"Cough syrup, and ointment for bruising. Is that all?" they asked.

"For now, yes," the doctor replied. "How much do I owe you?"

"Oh nothing, don't worry about payment. He can have them for free," they offered.

Spidey was alarmed by this, and reached out a hand blindly in their direction, trying to protest, but they only took it that he wanted it more, and before he knew it, there was a medicine glass thick with brown liquid being held in front of him that the doctor had hurriedly poured out.

"Here," he said, waiting for him to lift his mask. Spidey just groaned. All he wanted to do was sleep, he was so tired, but he couldn't just take a nap here, on a public street. It wasn't safe!

Spidey started as his cheek was patted, eyes widening in sudden alertness, and he clumsily pulled his mask up. Slimy liquid was placed in his mouth, but he could barely focus, his awareness momentarily fading away, body begging for much-needed sleep.

"No, Spidey. NO!" the doctor suddenly yelled in tremendous panic, as he once again patted at his cheek, trying to drag him back from the blanket of sleep. Spidey groaned in protest before suddenly coughing, hacking; something slipping unwontedly down his throat.

"Spidey, swallow. Swallow it, Spidey, you'll choke! You must swallow!" the doctor yelled, grasping either side of his face and turning it slightly, trying to gain his attention. "Spidey!" he screamed, and the panic was overwhelming. Several hands grasped at him, he could hear heightened breathing, and crying, someone was crying. That, if anything, got through Spidey's sleepy mind, and he tried to force himself to awareness. He swallowed, the first one choked and only half there, before he tried again, and felt a large mass of slimy liquid slide down his throat. Despite the initial pain, it was surprisingly soothing against the ache.

Spidey breathed deeply, taking in much-needed oxygen, before the doctor was close again, shining a torch in his mouth, and he opened his tired eyes, looking briefly in the direction the crying had come from, before limply holding out an arm towards their knee, as if to say he'd acknowledged them, and that he was alright. He felt them grab it desperately, holding it tight, before he began to slip into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was, "you're ok, Spidey, don't worry, we'll keep you safe," and his mask was placed back over his mouth, before blissful blackness seeped into his mind.

* * *

Spidey woke up about half an hour later due to the dry thirst in his mouth - his body still fighting the virus inside, as he could feel the heat burning from within him. He blinked open his eyes weakly, and noticed his head was no longer on the dry, hard ground, but instead resting in someone's lap. A hand was delicately tucked under his chin, while another lay on his forehead, identifying it as the same person that had been stroking his brow earlier.

He swallowed, and immediately regretted the action when it reminded him of his sore throat.

The hand under his chin tensed.

"I think he's awake," a female voice said softly above him, before there was the sound of footsteps, and someone knelt down beside him. Firm fingers rested carefully on his arm, before he recognised the voice of the doctor.

"Spider-Man, you with us?"

Spidey slapped his tongue in his dry mouth. "Thirsty," was all he said, voice a little husky and tired.

There was the sound of shuffling, and that mumbling again, before the man came back.

"Here, take it slow," was advised, and Spidey didn't mind when his mask was lifted up slightly for him. It trickled in, and he mostly just let it run to the back of his throat, swallowing slowly, before placing his hand up to signal that he'd had enough. The bottle was immediately pulled away.

"How are you feeling, Spidey? Where's it hurt the most?" he was asked.

"Mmm, am really hot, and...my head hurts. Throat, painful," he replied, finding it hard to talk straight. He really did have the flu. He hadn't felt this sick in a long time.

"Yeah, you're running a pretty high fever. We've had cool cloths on your head but right now they need replacing. They should be back with fresh ones soon enough, though. It's a bit hard since you're covered in spandex, but we're doing our best," the doctor explained.

Spidey, hmmmd, before taking in a shuddering breath – his whole body still aching. In a way he wished he hadn't woken up.

The man smiled down at him. "You okay there?" he asked politely.

"Y-yeah," Spidey slurred. "Just hurts," he elaborated. "Feels like I got hit with Thor's hammer."

The doctor and woman both looked at each other before bursting out laughing.

"Did I? Maybe I should go...arrest him. He shouldn't be picking on poor li'l spiders," he mumbled.

His company seemed terribly amused by his drunken humour, and Spidey swore he heard quite a number of other laughs join in, but his head was sore and his eyes were heavy, so he couldn't pay much attention, as he just went back to resting on the woman's lap, eyes momentarily sliding closed. That's when he noticed the slightly damp feeling on his neck.

Slowly, he dragged one of his gloved hands up to his throat, lightly touching it. There was definitely a sticky feeling to it under the suit.

"You ok?" the doctor asked with concern.

"Yeah, just, feels funny," he explained. He was surprised when the doctor just smirked at him, and he shifted his head to look at him curiously.

"Celia here helped me massage some ointment into it while you were out. It should help ease the bruising and make you more comfortable," he revealed, before going on, "I can't imagine the amount of people who must choke you, Spidey. I have no idea how you cope with all that," he said honestly.

"You get used to it," Spidey replied, and felt the fingers shift slightly under his chin; in obvious distaste to his statement.

He swallowed hastily, and smiled slightly under his mask. Even though it would never stop him from having to deal with the acts of violence thrown against him daily, it was a comfort to know that people still cared.

"All the same, those bruises were bad! It's unacceptable that people do that to you, Spidey – to anyone," the doctor vented.

"I know," Spidey answered, "but it comes with the job," he said. "It's just part of the package. I can try to do my best to dodge, but every now and then I'm always gonna get hit."

The man sighed, almost as if in sorrow, before rubbing at Spidey's arm.

"It's ready! It's ready! What do I do? Do I just leave it with you? Or does he want it now?" a voice suddenly piped up eagerly, and Spidey looked up a bit to see a middle-aged woman carefully carrying a jar of something that looked very much like homemade soup. And that's also when he noticed he was surrounded by at least ten other people, all casually sitting on the street walkway close by to where he lay, watching over him in what looked like slight concern. He also noticed the slightly protective pattern in which they may have been sitting.

Spidey gulped, ignoring the pain in his throat when he realised he's had a crowd of people quietly watching out for him this whole time, and decided to use his powers to stick his mask to his face, suddenly feeling slightly nervous and unsettled.

"Well, why don't we ask him? Spidey, would you like a little bit of soup? This woman here has very kindly put a lot of devotion into making some for you," the doctor said.

Spidey took in a shaky breath, contemplating it for a moment, before hesitantly nodding his head.

"Ok then, there you go!" the doctor exclaimed, and the woman's face lit up with the biggest smile he ever thought was possible, almost seeming excited, before quickly shuffling over and kneeling on the other side of him, getting out a small plastic bowl and large spoon.

Struggling to hold her hands steady, she started pouring it into the bowl before the doctor quickly told her to stop when he thought she'd got out enough. Replacing the lid to her jar and placing it on the ground she shifted closer, until she was practically leaning over him.

Spidey eyed the steaming broth attentively, lenses fixed on it, and didn't even move from that position as the doctor went in to lift up his mask. It stuck, the doctor's eyes widening in surprise, before Spidey tried to relax and the mask slid up.

"I didn't know you could do that," the man said in slight awe.

"Umm, yeah, I didn't realise it till recently, but... yeah," he said absentmindedly.

The woman looked between the two before dipping the spoon in the mixture, and lifted it towards his mouth.

The lady behind him lifted his head up a little higher, before he opened up. When no spider-sense warned him of danger, he sucked the soup off the spoon. He swallowed, and immediately choked when it slid down his sensitive throat, face scrunching up in pain and making a noise of distress when it hurt.

The woman started, eyes widening like saucers. "Does he not like it?" she panicked, looking desperately at the doctor.

"No, no it's alright, his throats just a little sore right now. We'll just have to take it slow," he explained calmly, while the hand under his chin slowly soothed him.

When Spidey had calmed down they gave him a minute, before slowly offering him another mouthful.

Spidey hesitated slightly, before opening up and letting the spoon slip in. He held the soup in his mouth for a moment - which didn't actually taste half bad - before swallowing again.

He immediately groaned and the lady once again comforted him, her other hand beginning to lightly massage his forehead.

They gave him another minute, before sure enough, the spoon was back again. Spidey's neck throbbed, and his throat ached deeply, so he quickly found himself hesitating again once it was in his mouth, his body tensing up. But his stomach was saying a different story, telling him it liked the gentle soup, by the way it seemed to beg for more.

Almost sensing his pain, the hands around his head shifted, moving to his cheeks before lightly running down his neck, massaging. It was effective, as through her gentle coaxing he found himself swallowing, before her hands moved back up again to resume their previous soothing.

Again, the lady put the spoon in his mouth. As if on cue, the hands moved again, and he found himself swallowing the minute they began to slip gently down his neck - working his tender throat.

They developed a system, one guiding the whole operation, one putting in the food, and one helping him swallow.

Soon enough, Spidey was full. Resting his head back further against the lap under him, he put his hand up, signalling that he'd had enough.

Getting the message, the woman put the remaining soup away, and the other lady's hands went back to massaging his forehead - one on his cheek. It was soothing, and soon Spidey found himself becoming sleepy, despite his screaming headache and the pain that took over his body.

He took one big, deep breath, before turning his head to the side slightly - preparing to rest. He wasn't quite allowed to yet, though, as there was a light tap on his cheek, and Spidey looked up to find the doctor innocently holding up a bottle of medicine and a spoon above him.

Spidey groaned, before the man poured out the mixture, and held it towards his mouth. Spidey obeyed, and took in the medicine - luckily this one being a little easier on his throat as it was intended to soothe it.

Licking his lips Spidey sighed at the relief it gave him, and let himself drift back towards sleep, bringing up one gloved hand and resting it tentatively over where it hurt on his throat. He felt his mask gently pulled back down, and a hand stroke at where his hairline would be, till before he knew it, he was fast asleep again.

* * *

Spidey woke up yet again to the sound of shouting. He felt better, his fever having gone down a lot, and a cool, wet cloth was rested on his forehead, another round the back of his neck.

He shifted, stretching out his legs, and froze. He was no longer lying on the rough concrete.

He blinked open his eyes, and was met with the view of a small room. His sluggish mind just stared for a while, too sick to process the contents around him properly, and he shifted his elbow, finding it moved against cushions. He was laid out on someone's small couch.

The voices were back again, and he groaned, resting his head to the side and taking deep breaths.

"Easy, bug boy."

Spidey's eyes snapped open. He tried to move, but a familiar, pale pair of hands held him in place.

"No, don't move."

"Gwen?" His voice was weaker, more pained than he expected, but came out just the same.

"Yes, it's me," came the reply.

"Whaa? Why are you here?" he shifted against the couch.

"Shh, don't talk," she said, as she once again pushed him back into the soft material. "You were on the news. Quite a stir you made there, so I came down to join these guys and help. Very nice people by the way. You're a lucky spider."

Spidey grunted in acknowledgement. Yes, the doctor and the others. He remembered. ' _Where were they now?'_

"A large mass of people started to accumulate, protesting against you, what with the being a vigilante and all, so someone offered to take you into their house to shelter you and they arranged to carry you in. I helped. It was just a short distance down the road. The cops have been hanging around, but they've made no move to come get you. I believe the others are currently arguing with some of the more vocal Spidey haters who are against you being protected. You've been asleep all afternoon."

"That long, hey?" he grunted.

"Yes, Peter."

"R-really, must be out of it."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, and Spidey sighed.

"Your aunt's worried, I thought we'd better get you back home, and to bed, yeah?"

"Bed sounds good," Spidey said, already beginning to doze off slightly again.

Gwen giggled slightly at her tired boyfriend, before leaning forward and giving him a kiss on his masked head.

"You're gonna have to get up, bug boy. You've still gotta walk out of here so we can get you home."

The following groan pretty much expressed exactly how that made him feel, before he started to push himself up with Gwen's help.

"Can't I just sneak out the window?"

"And not let anyone know what happened to you, or say goodbye to your 'loyal fans'?"

Spidey groaned again, before obeying, and swinging his legs round to the edge of the couch. He slowly stood. Hooking an arm around Gwen, they began to hobble towards the front entrance, his booted feet practically dragging along the ground. He was so weak.

The minute Gwen brought them to the door, all the previous chatter died down. All eyes were now settled on the subject of their dispute.

"Spidey!" the doctor immediately moved forward the second he lay eyes on him. "Hey, how're you feeling?"

Spidey could only sigh in response, hanging his head.

The poor man looked concerned. "You should be resting. Come on, I'll come and lay you back down."

Before he had a chance to do much, Gwen piped up.

"Ahh, no, he says he wants to go home."

"Home, hey?" the man looked at Gwen, and then back towards Spidey's mask. "Well, I guess that's understandable, just-"

"How does he plan to get there?" Gwen completed the unasked question she could see in the man's eyes. "He says he has a way. And I'm gonna help him out a little."

"Oh, ok, well. You take care, Spidey. And...and here," he quickly moved back into the house, before emerging a few minutes later, "take these with you."

Gwen smiled sweetly at the man for him as she took the bag holding the remainder of the soup and medicines.

"Thank you," Spidey whispered sincerely, before sniffing and rubbing a hand over his forehead. Gwen immediately put down the bag in order to lift up his mask from his nose. He immediately breathed deep as the air reached his stuffy nose, not realising what he'd begun to miss, and his shoulders slumped in relief.

"Well, if you're sure you're ready to go home. We won't stop you. Just take care of yourself, ok?" the doctor said, while slowly rubbing his back.

"I will," Spidey answered, nodding his head, and Gwen smiled, before she started to coax him forward, moving down the steps and along the street. Spidey felt every pair of eyes on him as he allowed himself to be led forward by Gwen, until they finally reached far enough away to disappear.

* * *

Peter lay snuggled in bed, a goofy grin on his face with his hair all over the place as he watched Gwen string out the water in the basin.

"Now, don't you ever pull a stunt like that again, you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"That could've ended up a _lot_ worse, and don't look at me like that, it's not funny."

Peter feigned pain as she slapped him over the forehead, before she placed the cloth over his sweaty head. She sighed, attempting to smooth down his unruly hair.

"What am I gonna do with you?" her grin betrayed her anger though, and they soon both found themselves bursting out into helpless laughter as their grins widened. "Come on, that's enough. You need to get some sleep. And you'd better stay in bed this time! No crime fighting for you, mister. You'll make an easy target for all those super-villains. And don't come running to me when you climb beat up to my windowsill when that happens. I did warn you."

"Gwen, I'm not going anywhere, ok? I promise, I won't go running off when sick again."

Gwen eyed him, her blue eyes thoughtful. "Pinky swear?" Peter's cheeky grin once again appeared on his lips.

"Pinky swear."

The happy sound of laughter could be heard bouncing around the room, as a smiling Aunt May made her way in with a warm, fresh bowl of soup.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed all that hurt/comforty goodness. Our dear little spider deserves all the love and compassion :) I was actually pretty miserable and sick myself when I wrote this. I guess it shows. But I'm sure we can all relate. See, even superheroes get sick sometimes and need a little extra helping hand :)  
**


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